The Rise of the Phoenix
by Kalimba Tijuana Razi
Summary: Mesogog wasn't defeated and he now has assistance by a creature named Zabia. Now, the Power Rangers must use their newly found powers to defeat Mesogog. They won't be fighting alone. The Phoenix Rangers are there to also
1. Take Flight

Chapter 1

Reefside High was quiet the night after Prom. No teachers, no students and no more attacks on the city. A young lady approached the school in a shimmering purple convertible with the hood down and her short hair flowing in the wind. As she exited the vehicle, she placed book bag on her shoulder and a notebook in her hand. Closing the car door behind her, she looked up at the high school. Her hair was brown, ear length and glowed in the sun. She wore a purple tank top with the words dance in gold and silver rhinestones with a light purple cardigan covering her shoulders. Her black boot leg pants were sleek with a purple streak down the sides. After a deep breath, she approached the school. As she approached the front door of Reefside High, she pondered what was going to happen. _"I know everything will be just fine but what if he can't help me. Don't psyche yourself out Thea. If Dr. Oliver can't help you, than no one else can. Well, it's now or never,"_she thought to herself. Thea opened the door to Reefside High and entered the main office. She approached the front desk and looked at the secretary. "Excuse me, I am looking for Dr. Oliver's room. I am his new student teacher,"said Thea. The secretary looked at her and smiled. "Just go down this hall and make a right. His door is the first one on the left,"she said. "Thank you,"said Thea as she turned around and exited the office.

Thea walked through the halls of Reefside High as she thought quietly to herself and placed her notebook into her book bag. The did exactly what the secretary had told her; down the hall, take a right, first door on the left. _"I can do this. There is nothing to fear. Dr. Oliver is just another teacher like the other ones you have been a T/A for. Nothing to fear."_ Thea approached Dr. Oliver's classroom and peered in through his open door. She saw him at the board writing down his lesson for the class. Thea steeped away from the door and leaned herself against a row of lockers. After placing her book bag on the floor, Thea looked down at the necklace that hung from her neck. It had a thin gold chain with a pendant hanging from it. On the pendant was a picture of a phoenix; a purple phoenix on a silver background with her name engraved in purple cursive letters. Thea held the pendant tight in her hand and squeezed. She lifted the pendant up so she could see it and then opened her palm revealing the phoenix. "I will save you. I promise,"she whispered. With a sigh she let her pendant go and had it dangle around her neck again. Thea picked up her book bag and stood in the door way of Dr. Oliver's classroom. She gently knocked on the door and entered slowly. Dr. Oliver turned around and smiled at the young woman standing in the doorway. "Hi Dr. Oliver. I am Thea Reynolds, your new student teacher or teacher's assistant; whatever you wish for me to be." Dr. Oliver chuckled and removed his glasses from his face and placed them in the pocket of his lab coat. "It's nice to meet you Thea. By the way you can call me Tommy. I'm not your teacher and besides, if we are going to be working together we might as well become friends right?" Thea smiled as she placed her book bag on one of the tables. "Sure, why not." Thea pulled up a stool and sat down at the table where she set her book bag. Tommy pulled up a stool next to her and sat down. "So Thea, why don't you tell me a bit about yourself,"said Tommy. Thea looked down at her hands and twiddled her fingers and then looked back up at Tommy. "Well. I going to be a freshman in college. I will be going to Reefside academy of the arts on a performing arts scholarship. I have been dancing since I was 3 and I really enjoy pottery. I have a studio at my house; it replaced my attic and I have some kids come by once in a while to learn dance routines. I have auditioned for many Broadway roles but haven't made it. To top it all off, I just moved here from Angel Grove and I have no idea why I'm rambling on right now so shut me up anytime." Tommy smiled at Thea and laughed at the sarcasm in her voice. "Okay enough about me. Tell me about you,"said Thea as she put her hand on top of Tommy's. "Well, I used to live in Angel Grove; back during my high school days. I went to college and studied palenotology and now I am here." Thea smiled. "Now I know there is more to the famous Tommy Oliver than that." Tommy smiled. "That's all I am going to tell you right now. You will learn more about me eventually. In the mean time why don't you help me with some filing." Tommy walked over to his desk filled with papers and student files. He pulled out a green folder and handed it to Thea. "These are the rosters for all of my classes. I need you to sort all of the student files into the correct periods and then put the appropriate information with each student. There are filing materials, you know, folders, tabs, boxes underneath the sink. So go ahead and grab what you need." Thea smiled at Tommy. "That's all? Piece of cake." Thea walked over to the cabinet and pulled out a filing box and folders and brought it over to the table where she would be working. As she sat back down at the desk and skimmed the rosters in the green folder. She looked at some the names of the students in the first hour class and came upon a familiar name. _"Skyler Lyn Clark. That's his sister. I wonder what she is doing here. I am going to have to talk to Dr. Oliver sooner or later. Now isn't a good time but I desperately need his help. What am I going to do?"_she thought to herself. As Thea began to rummage through all of the student files and paperwork in front of her, a voice came from the door way.

"Gee Dr. O, I didn't know that you have detention students do your work." Tommy looked up from his desk and walked over to the doorway. He saw the familiar faces of Conner, Ethan, Kira, and Trent standing before him. "Hey guys,"greeted Tommy. Kira walked over to Tommy and wrapped her arms around his neck in a gentle embrace and soon found his arms around her waist. "Life hasn't been the same with out you." Tommy released his grip from Kira and looked at the others. "Don't be shy come on in and you guys can call me Tommy. I am no longer your teacher but I am still your friend right,"said Tommy. Kira looked at Thea and then at the mess of papers in front of her. "Is this what you make the kids do in summer school?" Ethan walked in the room and hovered over Thea's shoulder. "No way. I've been in summer school. The work is much more brutal than this." Thea turned around in her chair and looked at Ethan. "I am actually Tommy's teacher's assistant. My name is Thea, Thea Reynolds. I just moved here recently." Thea offered her hand out to Ethan as a welcome gesture and watched him accept it. "Thea, I forgot to introduce you. These are some of my students from last year. This is Conner, Ethan, Kira and Trent,"said Tommy as he indicated each of his friends. "It's nice to meet you all,"said Thea as she let Ethan's hand go. "Oh Tommy, before I forget, this is for you from Haley. She said it was important,"said Trent as he pulled out a disk from his pocket and handed it to Tommy. Tommy saw the ranger insignia on it and knew that it was urgent. Taped to the disk, there was a note. It said "The lab is rebuilt and everything is running smoothly but take a look at the disk when you get home. There is something on there that you need to see. Tell the other rangers to be there with you. See you back at the lab. -Haley." Tommy looked up at Trent. "Thank Trent. I'll...uh, look at it when I get home." Tommy placed the disk into a case and placed the case in his briefcase. "Um...Thea, there is something I have to do right now. Can I have you come in and do this some other time?" Thea looked up from her paperwork and put down the class rosters. "I'll do you one better. I have nothing to do tonight so why don't I take this home with me and work on it there." "That would be great. I hope it isn't to much trouble for you,"said Tommy as he packed up his briefcase. "It's no trouble at all. I actually like this kind of stuff. It keeps me occupied. Thea put all of the papers into the filing box. "Thanks a lot Thea. I will see you bright and early tomorrow,"said Tommy as he watched Thea bolted out of the classroom with the files in hand. Tommy made sure Thea was out of the hallway before he talked to the others. "I'm gonna need you guys to come by the lab tonight. Haley and I have some things to show you tonight and bring your Dino gems,"said Tommy. "Tommy, what's going on?"asked Kira. "Mesogog is back and he has a friend, Zabia. Haley has found a way to energize your gems back to their full potential so you can be rangers again." Conner looked at his teacher with a dumbfounded look on his face. "I can't believe it! How can Mesogog be back? We destroyed him. The gems power-." "The gems power didn't fully destroy him. Our powers just weren't strong enough. Mesogog was able to find a power source and rejuvenate himself,"said Tommy. "But you said he has help. Where did this dude Zabia come from?"asked Ethan. "Zabia is actually a citizen,"said Tommy. Thea began to walk back down the hall to go back and get her book bag when she heard the others talking in the classroom. "Zabia is under Mesogog's control,"said Tommy. Thea stopped dead in her tracks. _"Zabia! That's him!"_Thea thought to herself. "How can Zabia be a citizen and a villain?"asked Kira. "I will explain everything tonight at the lab,"said Tommy. Tommy grabbed his things and was about to walk out when Thea walked back in. "Sorry! Left my bag. I can't go perform anywhere without this,"said Thea. "You know Tommy, I have a performance today. My partner Damien and I are doing a few numbers over at the Haley's Cyberspace. Would you like to come and watch?" Tommy looked at the others. Kira was the first to speak up. "I think it sounds like fun and I would love to come watch." Kira motioned to the guys. "Oh yeah. I have work at the café today so I will get to see you no matter what,"said Trent. "What the heck. I think it will be nice,"said Ethan. "Great! I'll see you all at the Cyberspace later today!"Thea said as she ran out of the building. Tommy followed behind her. "Remember guys, tonight at the lab,"he said.


	2. The Performance

Chapter 2

Over at the Cyberspace, Kira sat at a table with Ethan and Conner. As they awaited Thea's performance, a new girl appeared through the doors of the Cyberspace. She had a blue tube top on with a tan shirt on over with a jean skirt. Her hair was pulled up into a high ponytail and she had her left hand and wrist wrapped in a brace. She had a necklace dangling with a pendant on it that looked the same as Thea's. It had a blue phoenix on it with her name, Skyler Lyn, engraved in blue letters. She sat down on one of the computers and began to type. Conner watched Skyler's every move as she continued to type at the computer. Kira looked at Conner's dazed face. Kira waved her hand in front of Conner's face and was still surprised that she couldn't gain his attention. "Earth to Conner!"she said. Conner finally snapped out of his trance and looked over at Kira. "Huh? What'd I miss,"asked Conner as he entered back into reality. Ethan rolled his eyes at the clueless jock and looked back down into his notebook on the table. "Why do you keep looking at her?"asked Kira. Conner looked around the room trying to ignore what Kira was saying but she wasn't going to let him get away with it. "Conner, you have been staring at that girl at the computer ever since she walked in. Admit it, you like her." Ethan looked up from his notebook and stared at Conner. "Does Mr. McKnight have a crush on Skyler?"asked Ethan as he looked over to the girl at the computer. "I don't have a crush on her! She just seems familiar. I feel like I have seem her before,"said Conner. Kira rolled her eyes as she held her guitar close in her lap.  
Trent approached the table with a tray of sodas for his friends. Kira turned around in her chair and looked at Trent. "Hey Trent, do you know who that girl is over there?"she asked as she pointed to the girl at the computer. Trent looked over at the computers and saw the young woman in turquoise typing. "Yeah, that's Skyler Lyn. She just transferred in with her brother Damien. I think Damien is dancing with Thea today or after her; something like that." Trent placed the tray of drinks on the table and wiped his hands with the towel on his shoulder. "Thea should be performing pretty soon. I'll be finished here pretty soon and once I finish, we can head over to Dr. O's lab." Trent walked back into the kitchen and returned to work. Conner refocused his attention over to the computers where Skyler sat staring at the computer screen. "I think I am gonna go talk to her,"said Conner. As her approached the computer where Skyler sat, Haley came up from behind and tapped him on the shoulder. "Conner, have you seen Thea?" Conner shrugged his shoulders. "I haven't seen her." As Haley leaned to the side and looked out the window, she saw Thea pull up in her car with Damien in the passenger seat. Skyler got up from her computer and went outside to where Thea and Damien pulled up. Conner watched through the window as he saw Skyler greet Thea with a hug and then jumped into Damien's arms. Damien swung Skyler around in a circle as she chortled with glee. Conner wanted to be the one to swing her and listen to her laugh. As Damien set Skyler down and pulled out a bag from the trunk. Thea locked her car and walked into Cyberspace with Damien and Skyler. She recognized Conner and approached him with glee. Conner observed Thea's unusual ensemble as she took her final steps towards him. She had on a sleeveless purple top on with tassels hanging from the bottom of the shirt top. Her arm gloves were sleek with tassels hanging. She wore a headband with rhinestones and wore sleek black pants. "Conner, it's nice to see you again,"she greeted. "Likewise Thea,"said Conner as he focused his attention over to Skyler. "Oh, let me introduce you. Conner, I would like you to meet my dance partner and Damien,"said Thea as she gestured her hand to Damien. Damien put his hand out to Conner. "Nice to meet you Conner,"said Damien. Conner looked at Damien, grabbed his hand and shook it. "Nice to meet you to,"said Conner as he let go of Damien's hand and looked at him. Damien had on a black shirt with a silver mesh top on over it. His black pants gleamed in the light with the silver rhinestones going down the sides. The one thing Conner noticed was his necklace; a pendant dangling from a thin gold chain. It had a silver phoenix with his name engraved in silver letters. "Oh there you are! C'mon your on right now,"said Haley as she pulled Thea by the arm over to the stage. Damien followed behind and left Skyler and Conner behind.  
"Break a leg you two!"called Skyler as she stood next to Conner. "Well, I don't believe we have met,"gestured Conner as he looked into Skyler's crystal blue eyes. Skyler looked at Conner and smiled. "No we haven't met. I'm Skyler Lyn but most of my friends just call me Skyler,"she said. "Well, it's nice to meet you. You know, maybe I could get to know you better maybe buy you a soda or something,"said Conner. "Sorry, I can't stand carbonated drinks,"said Skyler. Conner gritted his teeth as he mentally kicked himself. _"A soda! Nice job McKnight! What kind of man are you to offer a soda! You don't offer a soda you offer something greater than that!" _"Although I do enjoy smoothies,"said Skyler with a smile. Conner lost focus and began to stare at Skyler's hand in the brace. Skyler tried to regain his attention . "Is there something wrong?"she asked._ "Don't say anything about her hand. That would be a stupid mistake. She said she likes smoothies so just take her up on that offer,"_Conner thought. "Conner, are you okay?"asked Skyler. "What happened to your hand?"Conner asked with a crack in his throat. Skyler looked down at the skin tone brace on her arm. She looked up at Conner with a huff in her voice. "That was a random comment." Conner snapped back into reality and realized what he had just said. _"Why the hell did you say that! You are such a moron!" _Conner yelled in his head while he began to mentally kick himself again. "Skyler! I didn't mean to say that! I don't...I ... sorry,"said Conner. "That was the most pathetic attempt anyone has ever made to impress me. I'll talk to you later Conner but right now, my brother needs me,"said Skyler as she whipped her hair in Conner's face and walked away. Conner stood still dumbfounded by what he had just done. _"I can't believe I just blew the chance I had with Skyler." _Skyler walked past the table where Ethan and Kira sat. Ethan looked at the anger in Skyler's step and just looked back at Kira. "Well, looks like Mr. McKnight didn't get the girl,"snickered Ethan. "You win some you lose some,"said Kira. Conner stood frozen on the floor; he couldn't move. A warm feeling descended on Conner when he felt the hand of a friend touch his shoulder. As Conner turned around, he saw Tommy standing behind him. "Hey Conner, you alright? You look a bit dazed." Conner shook his head. "No worries, I'm fine,"said Conner. "Hey, I didn't miss Thea's performance did I?"asked Tommy as he faced the stage. "No, she's going on right now,"said Conner as he and Tommy began to approach the stage.  
Haley walked on stage and put her lips up to the microphone. "Alright everyone, there is a special treat in store for everyone today. Please welcome Thea Reynolds and her partner Damien Clark." Haley picked up the microphone and walked off the stage with the audience applauding for Thea and Damien as the walked on stage. Damien stood on one end of the stage while Thea had her back to the audience with her left leg popped and her right hand propped next to her ear. Damien stood at the other end of the stage with his legs apart and his head looking down at the floor. Haley went over to the sound system an put their cd into the player. _"Ladies and Gentlemen, this is Mambo Number 5,"_played the stereo. With the music beginning, Thea began to bounce her hips and Damien popped his shoulders up and down. Thea began to walk over to Damien on the other side of the stage with her body hunched forward and Damien walked to her. They reached the middle of the stage by the time the lyrics rolled out of the stereo. Their feet began to tap with every beat.

_One, two, three, four, five  
Everybody in the car, so come on  
Let's ride to the liqueur-store around the corner  
The boys say they want some gin and juice But I really don't wanna  
Beerbust like I had last week  
I must stay deep   
Because talk is cheap  
I like Angela, Pamela, Sandra and Rita   
And as I continue you know  
They are getting sweeter  
_  
The crowd began to clap in unison as the two continued to tear up the stage with their taps. Skyler sat at the very front with a big smile on her face. Tommy stood next to the table where Ethan and Kira sat and watched in amazement. Thea threw her leg directly up in the air, pulled it close to her body and then fell onto Damien's shoulder. Damien caught Thea's leg and threw it back up in the air. Thea placed her foot back on the floor and continued to tap in the center of the stage with Damien. _"There is no way in hell that girl is my teacher's aide,"_thought Tommy as he stared bewildered towards the stage.

_And jump and down go and move it all around  
Shake your head to the sound  
Put your hand on the ground  
Take one step left  
And one step right  
One to the front and one to the side  
Clap your hands once  
And clap your hands twice  
And if it looks like this  
Then you are doing it right  
_  
Thea tossed her body to the floor as she rolled over her toes. Damien grabbed her hands as she rolled down and twirled her on the floor. Thea arched her body up and then threw her legs into the center splits while Damien let her hands go and threw his leg up in the air vertically. Their song ended with a boom and the audience clapped ferociously. Kira and Ethan stood up out of their chairs and clapped and cheered with Conner behind them whistling with glee. Tommy cheered and clapped along with the others. Thea and Damien held their pose for a few seconds and then stood up on the stage. Skyler began jumping up and down in front of the stage , screaming and clapping. _"I know I probably won't have my voice tomorrow morning but my Thea and Damien are worth every scream!" _thought Skyler. Damien and Thea took their bows and walked off the stage. Skyler tried to make her way to the end of the stage to greet her friends but was stopped by the crowd. Skyler tried to cut her way through the traffic jam but couldn't find a way out.   
All of the sudden, Skyler felt a sharp pain in her neck. She tried to scream for help but was silenced but the pain in her neck. Skyler became unconscious and fell into the arms of a mysterious stranger. He gagged her mouth and began to drag her out of Cyberspace. Kira looked over her shoulder as the others walked through the disbursing crowd to greet Thea and Damien. To her surprise, she saw Skyler being dragged away by a mysterious stranger in black and sleek silver. Kira followed the stranger out of Cyberspace but tried to be as hidden as possible. As the stranger walked outside Cyberspace, Kira hid behind a plant and watched his every move. The stranger held his hand out and summoned an invisi-portal. The stranger threw Skyler's lifeless body over his shoulder and stepped through the invisi-portal. Kira watched Skyler's arms dangle as she laid over the stranger's back. After he had crossed the barrier of the invisi-portal, Kira dodged towards the portal and disappeared with them.


	3. You're a Ranger

Chapter 3

Kira landed hard on the cold ground after she had made her way through the invisi-portal. She looked around and noticed she was in Mesogog's lair. As she crept around the corner and peered through the corridor, she could see Mesogog sitting down on his throne. _"What does that mutant want with Skyler?"_she thought to herself as she tried to remain hidden. Kira watched as the stranger threw the unconscious Skyler down on the table and strapped her down. "Where is her power?"asked Mesogog to the stranger. The stranger turned around revealing his face to Kira. Her mouth dropped down as she saw it was Damien. _"I can't believe it! Damien is working with Mesogog,"_she thought to herself. Damien leaned down and pulled Skyler's necklace off. The strength of his pull broke the lock on her thin gold chain. Damien held the turquoise pendant in his cold hand and squeezed it into his palm. This is the power of the turquoise phoenix ranger; ready for the energy transformation sequence,"he said. Mesogog hissed in pleasure as he took the pendant out of Damien's hand. "Excellent Zabia. With this new found energy, I will be able to make my powers almighty and begin to create my dino restructuring of Earth." Kira listened closely to Mesogog. _"Zabia? Damien is Zabia! I have to warn the others,"_thought Kira in a panic. As Kira maneuvered her body, Mesogog was able to hear her feet shifting. "I feel we are not alone here. Go take a perimeter around the premises. I will prepare the energy transformation sequence for the phoenix power,"said Mesogog. Zabia walked towards the corridor where Kira was hidden. Kira had to think fast or else she would be seen. She slipped her body into a thin crevice in the wall and began to breathe heavilly. As Zabia walked by, he didn't notice the hidden Kira and walked through an invisi-portal. Kira removed herself from the crevice as Zabia completely disappeared through the invisi-portal. Kira peered back through the corridor and began to watch Mesogog's every move again.  
As the crowd had finally left Haley's Cyberspace, the only ones remaining were Thea, Damien, Conner, Ethan, Trent, Tommy, and Haley. "That was an amazing performance today Thea,"said Trent in excitement. "Thanks! I hope we can come back and do it again sometime,"said Thea with a smile. Haley came out from behind the counter and began to put the stools up on the counter and chairs up on the tables. "I hope you guys will be coming back. That was an awesome performance. I have never seen a crowd get so worked up like that before." Thea got up off the stage with Damien on her arm. "I was surprised with how much they liked our performance. We don't normally get that much applause,"said Damien. Tommy looked at Damien in shock. "That's impossible. You guys are amazing and deserved every ounce of applause you received today." Thea clung harder to Damien's arm as her face began to turn red. Conner sat alone on the couch as he looked down at his small red soccer ball clung close to his chest. Tommy leaned his attention towards Conner. "Excuse me,"he said as he walked away from Thea and Damien. Conner didn't look up from his ball when he saw the silhouette of Tommy's shadow on the floor. Tommy sat down next to Conner and didn't take his eyes off of him. "Something the matter Conner?"asked Tommy. Conner sighed and looked up at his friend. "All I wanted was to simply ask her out and I blew it. I had to be a moron and ask about her hand,"Conner complained. Tommy looked at him cluelessly. "Who?"asked Tommy. "I tried to ask Skyler, Damien's sister out on a date but I just wasn't thinking,"said Conner. "Sorry Conner. I wish there was something I could do,"said Tommy with a consoling tone. Conner looked up from his soccer ball and looked Tommy in the eye. "I have never felt this way before Tommy. I mean, I have had girlfriends but none of them make me feel this way. I just get all nervous around Skyler and I can't describe what I feel. Have you ever felt this way before?"asked Conner. Tommy pondered for a moment and remembered his high school days; he remembered Kim. He pictured her smiling face in his head. She had those beautiful hazel eyes and gorgeous hair that shimmered in the light. She always had a beautifully white smile and wasn't afraid to show compassion to others. As he continued to think about Kim, another image popped into his mind. The image of Kim slowly transformed into a picture of Kira. Tommy saw the picture of Kira in his mind. Her beautiful blonde hair and her brown doe eyes stared back at him. Kira smiled and blew a kiss. Little hearts appeared from her palm and flew towards Tommy. The image reappeared of Kim and stood next to Kira. They both looked at each other and blew a kiss to Tommy. Kira's image slowly disappeared along with Kim's. "I love you Tommy,"said Kira's image as it finally disappeared and Tommy blanked out. "Tommy? Tommy,"said Conner as he waved his hand in front of Tommy's blank face. Tommy didn't hear Conner. _"What did that mean? C'mon Tommy, it means you love Kira! Doesn't it?_"asked Tommy to himself. "Tommy, you okay?"asked Conner. Tommy snapped back into reality with his head all confused and throbbing. "Yeah, I'm fine. My head hurts a little. I'm gonna go see if Haley has some aspirin,"said Tommy as he got up off of the couch and walked behind the counter and down the hall to find Haley.  
As Thea loaded all of her stuff into her car, Damien looked over Ethan's shoulder and watched what he was doing on the computer. Ethan had a simulator set up on the computer. "Alright Damien, If you adjust your arm like this, you will be able to nail all five turns." Damien stared at the simulator as it demonstrated how to do the turn. "Do you really think this will work?"asked Damien. "Go try it and see if it works,"said Ethan pointing to the stage. Damien set his dance bag down, took off his tennis shoes and slipped on his jazz shoes. Thea put Damien's stuff over to the side as she went over and watched him on the stage. "Damien, are you sure about this?"asked Thea asked, skeptical about what Damien was about to do. "Hey, it's worth a shot,"said Damien as he set foot on the stage. Damien prepped for his turn; he put his right foot behind him and his arms out in front of him in an L shape. Damien pushed off with his right foot and began to spin. He nailed all five turns and landed with his feet together. Damien stood dumbstruck and so did Thea. Ethan smirked as he shut the all of the computers off. "I told you technology rules!"said Ethan. "Awesome Damien!"cried Thea as she jumped onto the stage and plopped herself into Damien's arms. "Well, we'd better get going. I still have to finish Tommy's filing." Thea jumped off the stage and grabbed her bags. She looked around Cyberspace and found no sign of Skyler anywhere. "Damien, where's Skyler?" "I don't know. I haven't sen her since our performance. She was in front of the stage and I was never able to find her afterwards. She's probably gone home. She does have recital next week and has to work on her number,"Damien said, reassuring Thea. Damien hopped off the stage and grabbed his bag. "Bye guys,"said Thea as she walked out of Cyberspace with Damien behind her. Ethan stood by the window and watched Thea and Damien pulling away. Conner thought to himself for a moment and got up off the couch and approached Ethan. "That's strange. Kira went missing too after the performance. You don't think something happened to them do you?" Ethan shrugged his shoulders. "I have no idea,"said Ethan. Conner thought for a moment. _"What if something did happen to them? Maybe Mesogog captured them. No, that's impossible, we would have known if something like that had happened; it would have corrupted the whole event. I wonder if it is that other guy Tommy told us about, Zabia,_"Conner thought. Conner knew Kira and Skyler were in trouble and bolted into the back room to find Tommy and Haley.  
Haley was rummaging through a cabinet while Tommy sat on a chair, trying to ignore the pain in his head. "Hang on Tommy. I know I had some Advil in here somewhere,"said Haley, getting frustrated because she couldn't find the Advil. Tommy felt the throbbing pain in his head getting stronger as he could still picture Kira in his mind. Tommy put his hand to his head and began to press his fingers into the throbbing area. "Here it is. Finally I found it,"said Haley as she pulled the Advil out of the cabinet. She handed the jar to Tommy. "Thanks Haley. You don't know how much I need this,"said Tommy as he opened the jar and poured two Advil out. Trent walked into the back room carrying a glass of water in his hand. "Here Tommy, "he said, handing Tommy the glass. "Thanks Trent,"he replied. Tommy put the two Advil caplets in his mouth and washed them down with a gulp of water. "Is there something bothering you Tommy?"asked Haley. "No, everything is fine,"he replied. Haley rolled her eyes and began to walk away. "Tommy Oliver I have known you long enough to know when something is fine or not fine,"she said. "Trent, I'm gonna go check the monitors one more time before we lock up." Haley walked around the corner and into a small room filled with monitors with black and white screens. Tommy shook his head and looked back up at Trent. "How the hell does she know all that?"he asked. "Trent shrugged his shoulders. "Tommy! Tommy, something's wrong Kira and Skyler. I just know it,"said Conner. Tommy could still see the picture of Kira inside his head and watched as the image shattered into small pieces. "Calm down Conner. Ethan, what's he talking about?"asked Tommy. "I don't know. One minute we were talking and the next he's freakin' out,"said Ethan. "Conner, what's wrong?"asked Trent. Conner looked around at everyone and took a deep breath before he said another word. "Tommy! Come here! You have to see this!"cried Haley as she came out of the room of monitors. Tommy got up out of his chair and followed Haley back into room of monitors as well Ethan, Conner and Trent. Everyone came into the back room and saw the monitors. "Haley, what's going on?"asked Tommy. Haley fiddled with the control pad and then pointed to the large screen in the middle. "You have to see this footage. This was right after the performance this afternoon." On the middle screen, showed the footage of The and Damien. Thea had just hit her ending pose in the splits as well as Damien in his high kick. "Watch where Skyler is standing,"she said. Haley zoomed in on Skyler as she screamed her heart out. She tried to make her way through the crowd when she was captured. The stranger put his hand to her neck, silencing Skyler as she fell back into his arms. "Who is that?"asked Conner. Haley adjusted the image of the stranger to where they could see his face. Conner was infuriated when he saw Damien's face. "It's Damien!"he cried. "Well not really, that's Zabia. He's the one assisting Mesogog. As long as Zabia is around, Mesogog has power,"said Haley. "I'm gonna take this with us back to the lab. Maybe we can find out who Zabia actually is and save Skyler and Kira. "He has Kira too?"asked trent. Haley continued the footage and pointed to the monitor. It was outside of Cyberspace. Zabia called upon the invisi-portal and walked through. Tommy saw Kira on the monitor as she walked through the portal after Zabia and Skyler. _"I can't believe she would put herself at risk like that,"_Tommy thought to himself. "Let's get to the lab. Figure out who this guy is, and what he wants with Skyler and Kira. Then, I'll try and contact Thea and let her know what's going on as soon as we have more information,"said Tommy. Haley ejected the cd from the main computer monitor and put it in a case. She held the case in her hand and sighed.  
Skyler awoke to find herself strapped to Mesogog's table. Her head was throbbing in pain and she had a hard time focusing. She could feel the cold touch of Mesogog claws sinking into her shoulders, piercing her skin. The cold claws mixed with the warm feeling of her blood. "Where am I?"asked Skyler as she fought back the pain in her shoulders. She lifted her head up and saw the gruesome face of Mesogog looking back at her. Mesogog hissed in Skyler's face as she still wriggled on the table in pain. "Who are you? What do you want with me?" Mesogog loosened his grip on Skyler's shoulders now bruised shoulders. "I have already gotten what I needed from you Phoenix Ranger. I have your Power Pendant." Skyler looked down at her chest and didn't see her pendant dangling from her thin gold chain. "What did you do with my pendant?"asked Skyler. Mesogog tightened his grip on Skyler's shoulders and listened to her wail in pain. "Your powers are mine now. Admit it Turquoise Ranger, you are nothing with out your Power Pendant to protect you and the other Phoenix Rangers have no chance of finding you. You might as well surrender to me or face an unpleasant death." Skyler felt tears welling up in her eyes but refused to let them flow. Kira couldn't believe what she was hearing. _"Skyler is a Power Ranger? How is that possible? I have to get her out of here and take to Tommy. He'll know what to do,"_she thought to herself. As Kira turned around, she saw Zabia standing behind her. He reached out and grabbed her arm, sending a surge of silver light and excruciating pain into her body. Kira cried out in pain. "You must be the intruder. Mesogog will be happy to see you,"said Zabia. Kira was too weak to fight back. The pain got worse the longer Zabia held onto her arm. Zabia soon let go of her arm and let Kira fall to the floor. Zabia leaned down and pulled Kira up by the hair until she was fully standing. He held the back of her arms with his other hand and lead her into Mesogog's lab. Mesogog looked up at Zabia and hissed in joy. He released his grip from Skyler's arms and let her blood seep out. His focus was now redirected to Kira. "This is the one who has intruded the premises,"said Zabia. "Well, if it isn't the Yellow Dino Thunder Ranger, Kira,"Mesogog hissed. "What do you want with Skyler? She hasn't done anything to you. Let her go!"Kira wailed. Mesogog got close to Kira's face. "I don't think that is for you to decide. This power that she possesses is just what I need to accomplish my dino restructuring of Earth." Mesogog stepped back to where Skyler laid on the table. "I have her ranger power in my possession now all I need is her energy,"said Mesogog. He pulled down a laser probe over her head and walked over to the control panel. Kira writhed free of Zabia's grasp but couldn't free herself. Kira looked at Skyler and saw the blood dripping from her arms. Her eyes were unable to focus and she couldn't keep herself from wailing in pain. _"Oh my gosh! I have to help Skyler. I will no let this creep get away with this,"_Kira thought to herself.   
Thea sat in the den of the house she and Damien shared. She had Tommy's filing sorted into several piles and was ready to put everything into folders. She looked over to the couch where Damien laid asleep with a small beagle puppy on his chest. "Charlie, are you hungry?"Thea asked the sleeping pup. Little Charlie lifted his head up off of Damien's chest and looked at Thea. "C'mon, you hungry?" Charlie walked down off of Damien's body and leaped off the couch. The little puppy stretched his legs out and yawned. "Damien, wake up,"said Thea. Damien continued to sleep on the couch. Thea rolled her eyes and walked over to the couch and grabbed a pillow. "Watch this Charlie." Charlie tilted his head as Thea lifted the pillow over his head. Thea whacked the pillow hard on Damien's head waking him up. "Damn Thea! What did you do that for?"asked Damien. "I need to go drop Tommy's filing off at his house. Can you feed Charlie and give him his bath?"asked Thea. Damien rolled his eyes and got up off the couch. "Why do I always have to bathe the dog?"asked a frustrated Damien. "Because I do everything else around the house and all you do is sleep,"said Thea. Damien got up off the couch and walked into the kitchen with Charlie trailing behind him. Thea put all of Tommy's filing into the container and carried the box out to her car. She put the container on the ground, unlocked her car. Damien stood in the doorway and leaned on the door frame. "Alright, I fed the dog. Now let's go give Tommy his papers quickly,"said Damien as he jumped into the car. Thea walked back up on her deck , closed the door and locked it. Thea got into her car and put the keys into the ignition. "What made you want to come?"asked Thea as she pulled out of the driveway. "What? Do you think I am going to wash the dog by myself?"asked Damien. Thea rolled her eyes. "I would assume you would." Damien yawned and leaned his chair back.  
"Have you got anything Haley?"asked Tommy down in the lab. Haley turned herself around in the computer chair and sighed. "I haven't figured out who Zabia is but I have figured out where he has taken Kira and Skyler,"she said. Ethan, Conner, and Trent bolted up from where they were sitting in the lab and walked over to the computer. Haley pulled up the scene on the cd where Kira followed Zabia outside of Cyberspace and showed where the portal lead. "Kira and Skyler are at Mesogog's lab. I can probably teleport you there with you gems but I don't know if they have enough power left in them. It seems way too risky. "We have to try something,"said Tommy. "Tommy wait! Let me see if I can get us some more information first and then we will decide. For now, using your gems to teleport you will have to be last resort." Conner sighed. "I can't believe there isn't anything we can do. I feel so helpless." Trent began to think and then came up with a plan. "Haley, wouldn't it be easier to teleport them back to us?" Haley turned her chair around again. "What do you mean?"asked Ethan. "Well think about it, if we could use our gem powers to teleport them back to us,"said Trent, trying to sound convincing. "That actually sounds like a good idea,"said Haley turning back to the computer. "Yes! It looks like it will work but we are going to need a little more power. We need another power source; another ranger." Everyone looked at each other. "Haley, where do you expect us to find another ranger?"asked Conner, trying not to be cocky. Haley glared at Conner. "Unless we find another power source, we can't get them back. Maybe...Yes, this might work. You need to morph." "Why do we need to morph?"asked Trent. "You have more power as rangers than you do right now, demorphed." Haley got up out of her chair and grabbed a silver container. "Everyone, get your gems,"said Haley. Conner, Ethan, Tommy, and Trent pulled out their dino gems and handed them to Haley. Haley placed the gems into the container and sealed it shut. Attaching some wires to the container and connecting them to her computer, Haley was ready to restore the gems. "Stand back everyone,"said Haley as she pressed the enter key on the computer. The silver container began to glow red, blue, black and white.  
Thea parked on the sidewalk near Tommy's house. Damien climbed out of the car and opened the trunk. Thea climbed out and pulled the filing box out of the trunk. "Okay, I just need to find Tommy and give him his filing. Then we can go home and find out where the heck Skyler went,"said Thea. Damien gently grabbed Thea by the arm and pulled her back before she reached the door. "Thea, maybe Tommy isn't the one that can help us fight Zabia. Do you really think it is smart to trust someone we don't know well?"asked Damien as he held his pendant in his palm. Thea smiled. "I know I can trust Tommy. I had overheard him talking with the others that he needs help fighting Mesogog and Zabia has teamed up with him. You know I would never let you down Damien. Trust me." Damien leaned closer to Thea as she did to him. Their lips locked into a kiss. As Damien leaned his head back, he spoke quietly. "Do you really think he can save me?" They locked lips again for a short kiss and then Thea spoke. "I know he can. Zabia will not win. You will be saved." They smiled gently at each other. "C'mon, we have to give Tommy his filing,"said Damien. Thea walked with Damien up to the door. Damien knocked; there was no answer. "Is he even home Thea?" Thea turned around and saw Tommy's black jeep in the driveway. "His car is here. He has to be home." Damien tried knocking again and there was still no answer. "See if the door is unlocked,"said Thea. Damien turned the doorknob and let the door fly open. "Let me just drop this off in his room,"said Thea. Damien followed Thea through the house. "Tommy? Tommy,"called Thea but got no answer. "Here's his room. Thea placed the box of filing on his bed. "Let me just write him a quick note,"said Thea as she pulled out a pen and piece of paper from her pocket. Damien looked around the room in awe. "Wow! Tommy has some really neat interests. Look at all the dinosaur artifacts he has,"said Damien. "Alright, finished the note. Ready to go?"asked Thea. Damien wasn't listening to her; he was too busy looking at the interesting dinosaur sculpture Tommy had on his desk. Damien gently stroked the sculpture with his fingers. "This sculpture is amazing Thea. Look,"said Damien as he fiddled with the teeth. Damien pressed down on the dinosaur jaw and opened the door that lead to Tommy's lab. "Damien! What did you do?"Thea cried. "I didn't mean to do anything,"said Damien.  
"Okay, the gems are restored,"said Haley from the lab. Tommy walked over to the silver container and opened it up. He found their gems attached to their silver bracelets. Tommy grabbed the bracelets from the container and handed everyone their bracelet. "Okay guys, get ready to morph,"said Haley. Conner, Ethan, Tommy and Trent put their bracelets on their wrists. Thea walked over to the steps of the lab and listened in on what they were saying. "Dino Thunder Power Up!"cried the guys as they morphed into their ranger form. Thea watched in amazement. She turned her head back to Damien and tried to say something. "Damien...Their Power Rangers,"said Thea. She turned her head back around and looked at them. Damien walked over to where Thea stood and peered over her shoulder. "Okay, I have found an invisi-portal close by here and am resetting it's coordinates to lead them directly here,"said Haley. Damien began to scoot closer to Thea as her feet slipped closer to the edge of the stairs. Thea lost her balance and fell down the stairs. Thea fell down both flights of stairs and landed hard in front of Tommy's feet. "Thea?"said Tommy. Thea stood up in front of the black ranger. "I'm sorry. I could have sworn that this was Tommy Oliver's house but I guess I was mistaken,"said Thea. Tommy put his hand on Thea's shoulder as she was turning around to leave. "Thea, I am Tommy." Tommy took off his helmet and looked at Thea with a smile on his face. "Wow!"she said. The other rangers took their helmets off and revealed their identity to Thea. "Your...Your all rangers?" Tommy starred at Thea and stroked the loose hair out of her face. "I know this is a lot to take in right now but you have to listen to me. Thea, Skyler and Kira have been captured my Mesogog and-." "Zabia,"said Thea. Tommy looked at Thea confused. "How do you know about Zabia?"asked Tommy. Thea signaled for Damien to come down the stairs. Damien stood next to Thea and smiled. "Will you step back please?"asked Thea. The rangers all stepped back. Thea looked at Damien and they nodded heads at each other. They took their necklaces off and held their pendants in their palms. "Phoenix Rangers, Take Flight!"they cried out in unison. The other rangers watched in awe as Thea and Damien transformed into Power Rangers. "Purple Phoenix,"said Thea. "Silver Phoenix,"cried Damien. "You guys, this is perfect! Now we have plenty of power to teleport Skyler and Kira back,"said Haley.  
Kira couldn't stop staring at Skyler. "Good bye Turquoise Phoenix Ranger,"said Mesogog as he flipped a switch and turned on the laser. Skyler struggled underneath the laser, trying to fight it's power but it was too strong. "NO!"cried Kira as she fought her way out of Zabia's grasp. Kira pushed, Zabia to the floor and ran over to Skyler. Mesogog tried to get Kira away from the laser. Kira kicked Mesogog out of the way and he knocked the laser out of sync. The laser shot all around the room, hitting Mesogog, Zabia and Kira. The laser knocked Mesogog and Zabia unconscious but punctured a wound in Kira's stomach. Kira fought back her pain and unhooked Skyler from the table. "Kira, what's going on?"asked Skyler. "Don't worry, I'll get you out of here,"said Kira. Blood seeped from her stomach and dripped onto the floor. _"Please Tommy! You have to be able to get us out of this. I know you can,"_thought Kira as tears began to fall down her face. Skyler tried to focus her vision. "Hold on, my pendant,"she said. Kira looked down at the unconscious Mesogog on the floor, Skyler's pendant in his hand. Kira reached down and pulled it from his grasp. Kira held Skyler up as she tried to prevent her blood from spilling out of her stomach.  
"Alright rangers, concentrate your energy,"said Tommy. All of the rangers began to focus their energy on calling upon the invisi-portal. Conner had a red glow around him, Ethan had a blue, Tommy, had a black, Trent had white, Thea had purple and Damien had silver. It wasn't long before and invisi-portal appeared in the center of the room.  
Kira tried to lead Skyler down the hall of Mesogog's lab. They were both bleeding all over the floor. "Hang on Skyler, I'll get you out of this. Kira saw the portal beginning to appear in the hallway. _"Yes! Tommy, I knew you could save us,"_she thought. Kira limped over to the portal with Skyler in her arms. Once they pierced through the portal, they found themselves in Tommy's lab. "Kira!"cried Tommy as he grabbed her from off the floor. "Skyler!"cried Damien as he rushed to her side. Both girls continued to bleed all over the floor. Tommy held Kira in his arms. Kira looked up at Tommy and just smiled. "I knew you could get us out of this,"she said. Tommy looked at Kira's blood stained shirt. "Haley, get help! She's bleeding!"cried Tommy. Kira passed out in Tommy's arms. Damien held onto Skyler but she couldn't even stand up straight. Her energy was drained from Mesogog's laser. Skyler fell unconscious into Damien's arms. Haley rushed out of the room and walked into the back of the lab. "Quick, bring them in here,"said Haley. Tommy picked Kira up and brought her into the back. Damien did the same for Skyler. Haley revealed a new extension to the lab. "I just put this extension in. It's a hospital wing. Nothing fancy but it will work for them now until we can get some real help,"said Haley. The hospital wing didn't have much except two beds. Tommy laid Kira gently down on one bed and Damien put Skyler down on another. Haley rushed to Kira's side. "We have to get Kira to stop bleeding. Tommy reach into that drawer and pull out the towels and bandages." Tommy did as he was instructed and pulled out a towel and a stack of bandages. Haley grabbed the towel from his hand and pressed it against Kira's wound. "Ranger's power down,"said Tommy as he demorphed. "Power down,"said the other rangers in unison. Haley tried to lift Kira up. "Help me get her shirt off,"she instructed Tommy. Tommy held up Kira's right side and Haley held her left. They gently lifted Kira's shirt off, revealing her white bra. Tommy gently supported Kira's back as she was laid back down on the bed. "Hold the towel on her stomach. Make sure you put pressure on it but not too hard,"instructed Haley. Tommy nodded his head and held the towel on Kira's stomach. Haley then turned her attention to Skyler. "I need a damp towel and some bandages,"said Haley. Conner rushed over to the drawer and pulled out more bandages and a towel. Conner gave Haley the bandages. He put the towel in the sink and ran some cold water on it. He handed the towel to Haley and she rubbed the towel gently on Skyler's shoulders, revealing the claw marks where Mesogog pierced her skin. "She should be okay. I'm gonna wrap her shoulders and she should heal slowly." Skyler could feel the warm touch of Haley's hands on her wounds but didn't cry out. Her eyes slowly began to open and she focused her attention on Thea's face looking over her. "Thea, what's going on,"Skyler asked with a raspy voice. Thea felt tears well up in her eyes. "_I am so sorry this has to happen to you Skyler. I hate to see you like this. Don't show her your upset Thea. You don't want to scare her,"_she thought to herself. "Skyler...you have had a bit of an accident but everything is going to be just fine,"said Thea. Skyler smiled and slowly began to move her head. "Do you remember anything that happened?"asked Haley as she continued to wrap Skyler's bruised and wounded arms in the bandages. Skyler shook her head no and then looked down at her neck. "My pendant. Where's my pendant?"she asked. Haley finished wrapping her arms and then pulled out two ice packs. She wrapped the ice onto her arms hoping the swelling would go down. "Don't worry, we'll find your pendant,"said Haley as she then turned her attention to Kira. Tommy had climbed onto Kira's bed and sat behind her, letting her head rest gently on his chest. Tommy held the towel onto Kira's stomach and kept trying to get her bleeding to stop. Kira finally awoke to find herself in Tommy's arms. She could feel his touch against her arms and snuggled her body close to him. _"As long as Tommy is here beside me, I know I will be fine,"_thought Kira. Tommy began to stroke Kira's hair out of her face and he whispered to her. "Kira, it's gonna be alright. I promise." Kira lifted her arm up and pulled Tommy's hand down to her face. She held his hand in hers and put it close to her heart. Tommy smiled at her and kissed her head lightly. "I don't know if there is anything we can do for her Tommy,"whispered Haley. "There has to be! Haley, we have to try something!"cried Tommy. "I don't know what to do Tommy,"said Haley. Thea looked down at her pendant and held it close in her hands. Skyler lifted her arm and could feel the pain burning but ignored it as she grabbed Thea's hand, pulling it away from her pendant. "Thea, there is something we could do for Kira. Use your powers,"said Skyler. Her voice was so raspy, it was barely above a whisper. "Skyler, I don't think there is enough power for you and Kira,"said Thea as tears began to slowly escape her eyelids. Skyler held Thea's hand close to her heart. "I don't need it. I will be fine but Kira needs your help. She risked her life for me; she deserves to be saved,"said Skyler. Thea nodded her head and let Skyler's hands go. Thea walked over to Kira's bed and removed the blood soaked towel from her stomach. Thea removed her pendant from her neck and cupped it in her hands. She blew on the phoenix gently and watched as a purple glow surrounded her hands. Thea's hands had a purple glow as well as her pendant. Thea gently pressed her hand onto Kira's wound and held it there for a few seconds. Kira didn't feel any pain at all but a refreshed feeling rushing through her body. Thea removed her hand from Kira's wound but could still see the imprint of her hand glowing purple. Thea grabbed her pendant and blew on it gently again. The phoenix on her pendant flew off and gently laid down on the palm of the glowing hand on Kira's stomach. The glow subsided and the phoenix dissolved into Kira's flesh along with the glowing imprint, healing Kira's stomach. All that was left was a small scratch. Kira no longer felt pain in her stomach but her energy still felt drained. Thea's pendant and hands stopped glowing as she felt weak and started to collapse on Kira's bed. Haley and Trent caught Thea by the arms and held her up. "Your gonna be fine Kira,"said Thea. "Thea, what just happened?"asked Ethan. Thea finally regained enough strength to stand up on her own but she still leaned on Trent so she wouldn't collapse again. "As the Purple Phoenix Ranger, I possess the power to heal and rejuvenate as well as the power to control lightening. Damien possesses the powers of shape shifting as well as force fields and Skyler possesses the power of telekinesis. I used most of my powers on Kira so that is why I collapsed. I was just weakened. Our pendants protect us from harm, most of the time so I'll be okay,"said Thea. Thea put her pendant back around her neck and sat down on the edge of Kira's bed. "You'll still feel sore for a little while but you'll be just fine,"said Thea as she rubbed her hands on Kira's leg. "Well, we'll get out of here so you and Skyler can rest,"said Haley. Skyler had already drifted off to sleep with Damien by her side, stroking her hair. Kira lifted her body up so Tommy could get up out of the bed. Tommy got up and helped lay Kira down again. He kissed her gently on her forehead and looked into her beautiful doe eyes. "I'll be back soon. Get some rest." Kira nodded and drifted slowly off to sleep. Everyone exited the hospital wing and left Kira and Skyler alone. Tommy lead everyone upstairs into his house. He looked out the window and noticed how late it was. "You know, why don't you all crash here for the night. That way you don't have to go out at night and we can keep a batter eye what Zabia and Mesogog are doing. I have a guest room and two sofa beds. There's plenty of room,"said Tommy. "I think that's great. Damien, we can stay with Skyler and make sure she will be okay,"said Thea. Damien nodded. "That's fine with me as long as it's okay with Tommy." "It's no problem. Besides, I think this will work out for the best anyway. We can keep an eye on Kira and Skyler and then maybe we can find a way to give our gems more power,"said Tommy. "I think I know where we can do that. It's a long shot but it just might work. Tomorrow, we'll go into the petrified forest and I will show you all how to restore your powers to their full potential and if we play our cards right, we may be able to get everlasting  
power ,"said Thea.


	4. Captured by Love

Chapter 4

That night, Everyone slept at Tommy's house. Tommy went down into the lab to check on Kira. He had a gift small bag in his hand. He entered the hospital wing and sat down on Kira's bed where she laid unable to sleep. "Can't sleep?"asked Tommy. "Yeah, what about you? Can't sleep either?"asked Kira. Tommy chuckled. "Thea and I were going over some more paperwork. I gave her another stack of student files to work on. She went to sleep about an hour ago and I figured since your shirt is all stained with blood, you can use this instead." Tommy showed Kira the small gift bag he carried in his hand. Kira's mouth dropped open and she glared at Tommy. "What's this for?"she asked. "Well, I know someone with a birthday coming up right? This is a bit of an early gift from me. I figured you can wear this now instead of just your bra or your other shirt,"said Tommy. He handed Kira the bag as she smiled sweetly at him. "Tommy you didn't have to do this for me." Tommy smiled back at Kira as he focused on her brown doe eyes. "I know I didn't have to but I wanted to Kira." Kira looked down at the yellow bag and began to tug at the tissue paper inside. Once the tissue paper had been all pulled out, Kira discovered the gift on the inside. She squeaked as she pulled it out and found a yellow and halter top with her name embroidered in black on the corner and an embroidered picture of her guitar next to it. "Oh, Tommy. This great! Thank you so much,"said Kira as she leaned over and hugged her friend. Kira let Tommy go and pulled the beautiful halter top on over her bra. Kira got up out of her bed and modeled the shirt for Tommy. "Tommy this is great! It fits perfectly! Thank you!"cried Kira as she hugged Tommy again. "There's a card in the bag as well. It isn't birthday related though,"said Tommy as he released his grip on Kira. Kira pulled her arms back to her side and sat down on the bed. She pulled the yellow bag back in her lap and pulled out a white envelope with her name on it. Kira gently lifted the flap of the envelope and pulled out a red metallic card with a white heart in the middle. Inside the heart was a poem. It read:  
_I wrote your name in the sand  
But the wind blew it away  
I wrote your name in the sand  
But the waves washed it away  
I wrote your name in my heart  
And forever it will stay  
_Kira was speechless. She could feel her eyes well up with tears of joy. As she opened the card, there was another poem. It read:  
_My dearest Kira,  
The flowers are born, later they wilt.  
The stars shine, some day they are extinguished.  
This land, the sun, the galaxies and even the same great Universe some day also they be destroyed.  
It compared with that, the life of the man is not but that an I blink, a scarce moment.  
In that scarce moment, the people are born, they laugh, they cry, they fight, are injuries, they feel happiness, sadness, they hate someone, they love someone.  
All in a single.  
_  
_Kira, this is how I truly feel about you. I hope you feel the same way about me and can accept my love for you. I love you Kira Ford.  
Love, Forever and For always,  
Tommy Oliver.  
_

Kira felt tears of joy escape her eyelids and drip down her face. Tommy leaned over and wiped her tears with his shirt sleeve. Kira held the card close to her heart and continued to let tears slip out. She looked into Tommy's soulful eyes and couldn't keep herself from crying even more. "This is the best present anyone has ever given me. Thank you Tommy,"Kira whimpered as she put herself into Tommy's arms seeking the comfort he could only give. Tommy stroked Kira's hair as she wept into his shirt. "I didn't want to make you this upset,"said Tommy. "I'm not upset Tommy. I'm happy. Words can't describe what you have just done for me. It means so much and there is no way I can repay you for your love and kindness,"Kira wept as she buried her head deep into Tommy's chest. "There is one thing you can do,"said Tommy as he lifted Kira's chin up so her eyes met his. He gently moved in and kissed her gently on the lips. Kira calmed down enough to kiss him back. Lost in the moment, Kira didn't even realize that she had just fallen head over heals for her ex-teacher. _"I can't believe I am kissing my teacher. I know I shouldn't but he...no one can ever give me the love that he gives me,"_thought Kira. Tommy slowly broke the kiss and looked back into Kira's brown doe eyes. "Kira, tell me that you love me,"whispered Tommy. Kira stroked Tommy's cheek as he caressed his fingers through her blonde hair, gently sliding through buffoon fingertips. "I love you Tommy and I always will,"murmured Kira.  
"That little turquoise brat! She escaped form us. I swear Mesogog, I will find her and I will destroy her!"exclaimed Zabia furiously as he drew a silver saber from his belt and extended it. "Save your energy Zabia. I know the turquoise ranger is our target and she deserves what is coming to her but we must come up with a strategy before we plumate ourselves into a situation we are going to regret,"said Mesogog. Zabia thrashed his sword throughout the lab and thrashed it against a cabinet full of chemicals. The chemicals smashed together, splashing acidic liquid throughout the lab. Mesogog was furious. He marched over to Zabia and pulled his sword from his hand. Mesogog slammed Zabia against a wall and held the sword to his pale neck. "You incompetent buffoon! Look at what you have done to my lab! You are lucky I don't destroy you instead of the turquoise ranger!" Zabia began to breathe heavily as the tip of his own sword got closer to his neck. "You can't kill me! If it weren't for me, you wouldn't be here! I gave you your power and I can take it away just as easy!" Mesogog huffed as he released Zabia from his grasp and gave him the sword back. Zabia sneered as he walked over to the pile of chemicals. Pulling a single strand of hair from the Turquoise ranger out of his pocket. "You should be thanking me. These chemicals mixed together produced a substance which can act as a homing device on anyone as long as it has a genetic piece of material to identify the being. By dropping this strand of Turquoise ranger's hair into the chemical mixture, we will be able to see where she is at all times and can plan our attack,"said Zabia as he held the hair in between his fingertips. Mesogog hissed in delight at the sight of the hair in Zabia's possession. Zabia dropped the hair into the chemical concoction and was immediately blown away by the amount of smoke appearing in the lab. Zabia fell to the floor and coughed as much smoke out of his chest as he could. Revealed behind the smoke was a cloud of ash, hoovering above the chemical pile. An image became clear of Skyler laying on her bed in the hospital wing. "Excellent,"hissed Mesogog as he swerved his hand over the floating ash. Zabia laid on the floor, coughing smoke out of his lungs, too weak to stand. Mesogog peered into the floating ashes.  
Skyler tossed and turned on her bed trying to find a comfortable position but it wasn't easy with her arms so sore. Tommy looked up and saw Skyler moving in her bed. He looked down at Kira, nestled in his arms. Tommy stroked her blonde hair as she slept soundly in his comfort. He carefully lifted her body into her bed as she laid in his arms motionless. He pulled the covers up and tucked her in gently and then kissed her forehead. Tommy walked towards the entrance of the hospital wing and then turned back to look at Kira. She curled up in her blankets and turned her body towards the entrance. "I love you Tommy,"she whispered. Tommy smiled at her. "I love you to Kira,"he whispered. Tommy exited the hospital wing and went up the stairs to his room. As he went upstairs, Conner headed downstairs. "Conner? What are you still doing awake,"asked Tommy as he looked down at his watch. "I should probably be asking you the same question Tommy. Why are you down here so late?"asked Conner. Tommy smirked. "I just came down to check on Kira. No big deal,"said Tommy as he headed up to his room. Conner sighed as he walked down the stairs and into the hospital wing. He walked over to Skyler's bed and sat down on the edge. Skyler continued to toss and turn on her bed but Conner tried to console her by stroking her hair. Conner stroked Skyler's cheek gently as she woke up. Conner looked into Skyler's innocent face and peered into her hazel eyes. "How are you feeling?"asked Conner. Skyler smiled as she sighed. "I've been worse than this." Conner chuckled as he stroked the stray hair out of Skyler's face so he could see her eyes better. "Conner, I didn't mean to sound rude to you today at Cyberspace. That wasn't my initial intention. I was just frustrated. I have had so many people ask me about my hand and it bugged the crap out of me. I'm sorry that I took my anger out on you. Will you ever find it in your heart to forgive me?"asked Skyler. Conner smiled at Skyler and scooted his body closer to hers. He gently caressed his arms around her body and lifted her up into his lap without touching her shoulders. "You don't need to apologize. I shouldn't of asked about your hand. I'm sorry Skyler,"said Conner. Skyler slowly lifted her arm as best as she could and stroked Conner's cheek. "There is no need for apologies. Conner, I think we have both learned our lesson. You know, one day, we will look back on this moment and laugh at how ridiculous we were." They both chuckled and exchanged cheerful smiles. Conner laid Skyler back down on the bed and he laid down next to her. Conner stroked her hair as he held Skyler close and stroked her hair. He looked into her deep hazel eyes and saw the innocence that lied beneath. "Skyler, there is something I have to tell you." Skyler snuggled towards Conner. "Really? What would that be?"she asked. Conner sat up in the bed and looked down at Skyler. "I love you Skyler." Skyler couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Really?"she asked. Conner lifted Skyler's body up again and held her in his arms. "I truly do. I would never lie to you. I love you with all my heart Skyler." Skyler could see it in Conner's eyes that he wasn't lying. As Conner held Skyler, he could see her body begin to glow turquoise. Skyler took a deep breath and smiled. The bandages on her arms snapped off as her body glowed brighter. Conner looked at the wounds on her arms disappear and become small scratches on her arms. Her dark black and blue bruises began to fade back to her normal skin tone. Conner watched in amazement as Skyler healed before his eyes. The brace on her hand and wrist snapped off. Conner laid Skyler back on her bed and continued to watch with a baffled look on his face as her body stopped glowing and she shut her eyes. _"Oh no, what just happened? What the hell just happened?"_Conner thought to himself, panicked. "Skyler?" Conner looked closely at her face and watched as her eyes twitched. Skyler opened her eyes and looked up at Conner with bright eyes and a smile on her face. She slowly sat up in her bed and lifted her hand. She wiggled her fingers and rotated her wrist. She looked at both of her shoulders and only saw small scratch marks upon her skin. Her arms were no longer causing her constant pain. Skyler was so relieved, she grabbed Conner and refused to let him go. "Thank you so much! You've healed me!" Conner was still dumbfounded from what just happened. "Before you get too crazy, will you tell me what happened?" Skyler let Conner go and sat up in front of him. Skyler put her hands on top of Conner's and looked him straight in the eyes. "Your love has healed me! Conner, when a phoenix true love, then healing is granted." "I don't understand,"said Conner. "You really love me with all your heart right?"asked Skyler. Conner nodded his head. "When a phoenix find true love, the phoenix is granted the love of another. The love and care of another will heal anything. You were able to heal me because you really love me and no one will be able to love me the way you do. You're my savior Conner,"said Skyler. "I really do love you Skyler,"said Conner as he pulled her close. Conner held Skyler close and slowly kissed her on the lips. Skyler didn't hesitate on returning the kiss and so she did. Conner gently pulled away as he sat against the pillows on Skyler's bed. Skyler crawled into his lap, pulled the sheets over their legs and snuggled her head into Conner's chest. Conner and Skyler fell asleep as they felt the warmth of each other's comfort.  
"So, the ashes show me that our little Turquoise Ranger has a crush on the Red Ranger. What do you suppose we do about this situation Zabia?"asked Mesogog as he turned to Zabia. Zabia stood in a corner of the room coughing out the rest of the ash and smoke form his chest. "Zabia, how can you just sit there when the Power Rangers are going to regain eternal power?"Mesogog hissed. Zabia didn't say anything. "I expect you to answer me Zabia,"sneered Mesogog. Zabia looked over at Mesogog. "I will do something about it,"he responded. "Exactly, what is it that you plan to do?"asked Mesogog as he drew closer to Zabia. "Mesogog, the Rangers only have one chance to regain their powers. Purple Ranger is going to lead them to the Oracle's cavern; the heart of the Phoenix power. She and the other Rangers have to call upon the Oracle in order to regain their powers. If they perform the ritual correctly, the Oracle will grant the Rangers the gift of eternal powers but if they don't, Reefside will have no one to protect it from harm. I know where to find the Oracle. The Turquoise one will be the one who has to call forth the power so she will be an easy target,"said Zabia as he headed towards an appearing invisi-portal. "The Rangers don't stand a chance. They may have strength in numbers but I have pure strength." Zabia walked through the invisi-portal and disappeared into it's blinding light. Mesogog hissed and turned back to the floating ashes where he viewed the Rangers walking through the petrified forest.


	5. Journey to the Oracle

Chapter 5

Thea lead the group through the petrified forest in hopes of finding what she was looking for. "Thea, exactly where are we going?"asked Kira as she followed behind Thea. Thea continued to walk through until she reached a clearing. She leaned on a tree and turned around facing the other rangers and Haley. Everyone found a spot in the clearing and settled down for a moment. Thea turned towards the tree and looked down at the roots She closed her eyes as she thought to herself. _"How can I bring myself to say that I am putting my friends in danger. Skyler and Damien are my only family and they know what's at stake but I only wish there was an easier way to tell the others this. What the hell am I getting myself into? I guess I am just going to have to bite the bullet and get this over with."_ Tommy sat down on a rock and let Kira climb into his lap. "Thea, is everything alright?"asked Kira. Thea sighed and turned around and looked at her friends. "Let me explain everything. We're headed to the Oracle's Cavern. In order to regain our powers, we have to summon the Oracle and if we play our cards right then we can get eternal powers. The only downfall to this plan is we may not even make it to the Oracle. Everyone who has tried to summon upon the Oracle, has died in the process. Oracle's Cavern is full of traps so we have to be extremely careful,"said Thea. Conner looked around at the other rangers and saw no looks of excitement. "So if we don't get our powers from the Oracle, what will happen?"asked Ethan. Everyone turned their heads back to Thea. Thea sighed and walked towards the other Rangers. "It will take all of the power we have right now to call upon the Oracle. If we don't succeed, Zabia and Mesogog will win." Trent wasn't so sure about what was going on. "So we have to sacrifice our powers in order to get more powers?" "That's right,"said Thea. Conner became upset, he held his anger behind his eyes. Damien could see and feel Conner's pain, flames building behind his eyes trying to burn. "Conner, are you okay?"Damien asked. Conner scuffed and lifted up a stone from the ground, walked to an edge of the clearing and threw the rock as hard as he could into the distance as he cried out in anger. "No way am I giving up my powers. There has to be another way,"Conner said. Damien walked over to Conner but didn't want to upset him anymore than he already was. "Conner, I know your upset about this but there isn't another way. Trust me, I know." Conner began to calm down and walked back over to the other rangers. "I'm sorry. I just think there should be another way. We shouldn't have to sacrifice our powers and only have a alight chance of getting them back." Tommy sighed as he held Kira close to him. "Conner, I wish there was some other way we can get our powers back without just giving them up like this. There is no way around this. We have to do it." Conner looked around at all of the other Rangers and sighed. Skyler walked over to Conner and reached her arm up an put her hand on Conner's shoulder. Conner turned around and looked down at Skyler. She took her arm off his shoulder and smiled at him with eyes filled with innocence. Conner held her hands tight in his grasp and kissed them lightly. "Alright, let's get this over with,"he said. Thea nodded and looked over to Skyler. "Do you really think your up for this? It's not gonna be easy Skyler." Skyler walked over to Thea, wrapped her arms around her neck . Thea knew Skyler was strong and embraced her back as if she was her real sister. "I can do this Thea. I'm a Ranger til the end and no one can ever tell me otherwise,"whispered Skyler into Thea's ear. Skyler let go and Thea smiled as she also let go of Skyler. Thea smiled as she looked back at the others. "We should keep going, it isn't that far til we get to the Oracle's Cavern but it's going to get treacherous so stay close." Thea began to walk out of the clearing with the rest of the group following behind. Thea and Damien lead the way through the petrified forest.  
Terrain did become treacherous as Thea predicted. Damien took the lead as the group came to the dark side of the forest. He stopped in between two trees and turned facing the group. Everyone stopped dead in their tracks at the sight of Damien stopping. "Alright guys, this is where things become dangerous. This is the Dark Forest. We are no longer going to be in Reefside. As we enter the Dark Forest, we enter the Oracle's dimension. This is going to be extremely dangerous so everyone must be careful. I am warning you now, for once we go in, there is no turning back. Is everyone up to the challenge?"he asked. Every ranger had a puzzled look on their face as they looked at each other for a sense of relief. "I'm in,"said Kira as she stepped towards Damien. Damien leaned forward and hugged Kira tight as he whispered 'Thank You' into her ear. They released their grip from each other and looked back at the rest of the group. Tommy stepped forward and stood next to Kira. Haley and Ethan stood next to Tommy followed by Trent standing with Thea. Skyler joyously joined the pack as she motioned for Conner to follow. Conner rolled his eyes. _"I can't believe I am going to do this,"_he thought to himself as he stood next to Skyler. Damien glanced at the group and then turned around towards the entrance of the Dark Forest. Damien held his hand out and took a step towards the entrance. His hand touched the barrier and began to pierce the seem to the next dimension. Damien took another step and let his arm pierce all the way through. As he took another step, his whole body went through the barrier. Damien looked back at the others and signaled for them to follow. Thea emerged from the back of the pack and crossed through the barrier. Tommy was the next to cross. Kira stepped through the barrier with everyone following behind. The light of the day soon faded as the darkness of the Oracle's dimension blocked out the bright sun of Reefside. "Stay close everyone and be alert. You never know what may happen,"said Thea. Damien and Thea stepped in the front of the pack and lead the way through the Oracle's dimension.  
The Oracle's dimension was dark and bleak. The Oracle's Cavern was hidden deep in the mountains past the forest. The only way to get to the Cavern, was to cross the trails through the Forbidden mountains. The trails were long, covered with rocks as sharp as a sword's blade. The trails were high, way above the ground. One slip could be a fatal fall. "Stay towards the wall everyone,"said Thea as she motioned for everyone to go towards the side of the mountain. Trent walked towards the side of the mountain. He touched the side of the mountain and tried to balance his footing in between the rocks beneath him. As he took another step, he stepped on an unstable rock and slipped. He landed on a sharp boulder and sliced his ankle. Trent screamed out in pain as he grabbed his ankle, blood seeping from his wound, coating his hand red. "Trent!"cried Tommy as he rushed over to Trent's side. Tommy gently lifted Trent's body into his arms and leaned him up against the mountain wall. Damien rushed over, placing his hand down on Trent's blood soaked hand. "Let me see,"said Damien as he removed Trent's hand from his gashed ankle. "You're lucky. This could have been much worse. You're gonna be alright. Damien ripped off a part of his long sleeve shirt sleeve. He wrapped it gently around Trent's gashed ankle and secured it with a knot. "Can you stand?"asked Damien. Trent stood up with the help of Tommy. Trent put some pressure on his leg and tried to walk. "I can walk. I'll be fine." Damien nodded and walked back up to the front with Thea. "Are you sure your okay?"asked Tommy out of concern. Trent smiled at his friend. "Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry about me." Tommy took Trent's word and walked back up to the front of the pack with Kira. Trent took another step on his sore leg and felt the pain pierce through his skin and rush through his body. Trying to ignore the pain, Trent pressed on with the others.  
Skyler walked next to Conner. She refused to look him in the eye and tried to focus her attention elsewhere. _"I can't love him now. I have to focus on what is ahead of me. Focus Skyler, the fate of your friends ride on your shoulders. There is no room for love when your life and the lives of others rest in your hands. I just hope I will be able to live long enough to show Conner how much I love him,"_she thought to herself. Conner looked down at Skyler and smiled at her. He could tell she was avoiding him but he wondered why. "She won't look at me. I wonder what I have done now to upset her. I don't remember saying anything rude to her. We barely said a word to each other today. Something is going on with her and I have to find out what." Conner wrapped his arm around Skyler's shoulders and pulled her close to him as they came to the end of the trails. "Okay guys, we are in another part of the forest. There are going to be many traps around here so be alert and watch out,"said Thea. Conner wasn't paying attention to a word Thea said. He concentrated his attention on Skyler. He put his hand on her cheeck and caressed her head gently up, he wanted her to look at him. Conner was shocked with what he saw, Skyler's innocent face was pale. Fear filled her soulful hazel eyes as she panted. "Skyler, what's wrong?"Conner asked in concern. "I can't tell you. It hurts to say,"Skyler wept. Conner looked Skyler in the eye. "You know you can tell me anything." Skyler writhed away from Conner and walked as fast as she could away from him. Conner walked after her as she ran behind a group of trees. Conner found Skyler behind the trees, curled up on the ground as she wept into her knees held close to her chest. "Skyler, if there is something you need to tell me, now would be the right time,"said Conner. He placed his hand under Skyler's chin and gently lifted her face up. "This is going to be difficult for you to understand Conner but I have to tell you,"Skyler said. Conner embraced his arms around her shoulders and kissed her gently on the cheek. He looked back at her and glanced at her eyes. The fear still resided and wasn't fading. "You know you can tell me anything Skyler."  
As the group treaded on, no one noticed Conner and Skyler missing. Trent grew weak and felt the pain in his ankle grow the more he walked. Haley turned back and saw him struggling, limping on his right leg, trying not to fall. Haley couldn't bear to see Trent in that much pain, she could feel the pain herself as she watched his every movement. Haley walked over to Trent , grabbed his arm and threw it over her shoulder. "You say that your alright but I know your lying,"said Haley with a smirk. Trent scuffed as he leaned down on Haley. "Lying is such a harsh word. I would rather think of it as...okay it is lying. I just don't want to slow everyone down. Our powers are more important than my petty scrapes and bruises." Haley rolled her eyes. "Like it or not, I'm helping you because you need it. Besides, that's what friends do." Trent nodded, leaned onto Haley's shoulder and began to walk with her. Thea noticed the group beginning to slow down and made sure everyone was still following. She saw Trent and Haley straggling behind and walked down towards them. "You guys doing alright back there?"she called. "We're fine,"said Haley. Thea got closer and closer to Haley and Trent with every step she took but then she stopped. Looking down at the ground, rocks began to roll down past her feet. She could feel them hitting up against her shoes, sharp rocks piercing through the leather of her hard soled boots. Then, the ground shook, lasting for a couple of second then stopped. Thea looked around and saw everyone else dumbfounded by the sudden movement of the ground. "Don't Move! Stay where you are!"cried Thea. The ground shook again, creating cracks in the ground surrounding every ranger. The cracks became larger and the ground began to sink below the surface. Everyone froze in fear, not sure of what they were supposed to do. Tommy became stuck, his feet caught tight in the cracks of the fracturing ground. "I'm stuck!" Kira looked down at the ground cracking beneath her while it sank further. Dodging every crack, Kira managed to escape the cracks beneath her feet. She climbed out of the pit she was stuck in and rushed to Tommy's side, grabbing his hands and pulling as hard as she could to get him out. Damien felt his feet sink into the cracks beneath him, he was also caught in a rocky trap. Ethan felt his feet sink into the ground, rocks surrounding his ankles, rubbing them the wrong way. Thea and Haley cried out as their feet became caught. "I'll get you out of this Haley!"cried Trent as he bent down and tried to pull Haley's feet out of the grounds grasp. "Trent, NO! Get out of here or it will get you too,"said Haley as the ground sank deeper beneath the surface. Trent climbed out of the sinking pit and grabbed onto Haley's hands. "Hang on!" Kira felt her grip on Tommy's hands begin to slip as her arms stretched as far as they could while the ground pulled Tommy down below the surface. "Hold on Tommy!"cried Kira, tears rolling down her eyes. The ground sank even deeper beneath the surface. Tommy looked past Kira's face and saw rocks beginning to roll down the mountain side at a rapid speed. "Look out!" Kira turned around and saw the rocks coming towards her but wasn't able to dodge them in time. A large boulder hit Kira in the back of the head, knocking her over, and breaking her hold on Tommy's hands. "KIRA!"Tommy cried as he sank beneath the surface completely, disappearing into the Earth's crust. Kira felt her mind fading, her vision was blurred and her head was cloudy. "Tommy, don't leave me,"murmured Kira as she past out. Rocks continued to pour down the side of the mountain. Trent struggled to keep a grip on Haley. "Trent, watch out!"cried Haley. Trent was struck by a rock as he turned around, knocking him against the mountain side and making him unconscious. Haley and the other rangers sunk beneath the ground. The ground continued to shake and rocks still rolled down the side of the mountain. Kira and Trent laid unconscious on the ground as the mahem around them continued.  
Conner took Skyler in his arms as she wept quietly into the palms of her hands. "Skyler, it's alright. Just tell me what's wrong." Skyler removed her hands from her face, revealing the tear stains under her eyes. "I don't think you know this but my power as a Phoenix Ranger is telekinesis. It is the most powerful of all powers a Phoenix Ranger could have. That is why Mesogog and Zabia want me. That is why they captured me before. That is why I have to call upon the Oracle." Skyler couldn't help the fact that she was becoming upset. Conner didn't understand where this saddened feeling was coming from. _"Skyler said that she had to call upon the Oracle herself. Could this be what's upsetting her. That can't be true. I thought we were all using our powers to call upon the Oracle?"_Conner thought to himself unsure. Skyler buried her face deep into Conner's chest as tears slipped out of her eyes uncontrolled. Conner stroked Skyler's hair, trying to calm her down. "I thought, Thea said-." "Thea didn't say the whole truth. I have to call upon the Oracle using everyone's powers. I will have all of your powers in my possession when I summon the Oracle. She will absorb our powers and create new ones but I have to do it because I have telekinesis. That is why so many people have died in the process of summoning the Oracle. They didn't have the right powers and they didn't give her what she wanted,"said Skyler. Skyler sat up and looked to Conner as her savior. "I don't know if I have what it takes. I always thought I did but now...now I'm not so sure. Conner, I'm scared." "What else does she want besides our powers?"asked Conner. Skyler hesitated to tell him. Conner could see the fear behind her eyes grow and pale her already pale face. He took Skyler into his arms and stroked her hair as she breathed heavily on his chest.  
"Kira, are you alright? Can you hear me?"asked a familiar voice. Kira opened her eyes slowly and refocused her vision the best she could. Her head was cloudy, throbbing pain struck the front of her forehead and the back of her upper neck and head. She felt the comfort of a friend hold her close. She wished it was Tommy, holding her tight, comforting her but it wasn't. Kira closed her eyes again. _"What is this pain I feel? I wish it would disappear. Please have Tommy be holding me close. I just need to feel his comfort, the only love he can give,"_she thought to herself as she opened her eyes again. She could see straight again but felt the pain in her head grow worse. She looked up at the one holding her up and it was Trent. "Are you okay Kira?"he asked as he helped her sit up completely. Kira placed her hand on her head, right on the pain. The touch of her hand to her neck caused the pain to increase. Kira groaned in pain as she removed her hand from the back of her neck. "Trent, what's going on?" Trent maneuvered his body around so he was facing Kira, looking her in the eye. "Kira, do you remember what happened?" Kira shook her head 'No' as Trent sighed. "You don't remember everyone sinking beneath the ground in the earthquake?" Kira looked puzzled. She thought to herself, trying to relive the moments Trent was speaking of. She remembered Tommy, sinking beneath the Earth as she clutched onto his hands. As his hands began to slip, she had turned around and then blacked out. "Tommy,"Kira whispered. Kira stood up as best she could, losing her balance and then leaned up against a nearby rock. She skimmed the area and saw no cracks in the ground, no rocks piled everywhere, no sign of the other rangers or Haley. Kira panicked. "Where is everyone? What happened to them?"she asked. Trent walked over to Kira, and held her hands. "Kira, their gone. I don't know where they are. They just disappeared into the ground." Kira didn't want to believe what she was hearing. _"No! They can't be gone! They aren't gone! I can't believe it! I won't believe it! I have to find them, no matter what it takes,"_Kira thought to herself. Kira stormed off into the forest like a demon. "Kira! Where're you going! Come Back!"cried Trent as he raced after her. Kira refused to stop as Trent chased after her. Running faster and faster, Kira tuned out the sound of Trent screaming her name. She was only thinking of the others, her main concern. Kira didn't know where she was running or where she was headed. _"I have to find them. I must get to them. Hang on everyone, help is on the way. Hang on Tommy, I'm on my way to save you,_"Kira thought. "Kira stop!"cried Trent, panting harder as he ran. Kira didn't turn back, ignoring every word Trent spoke. Kira didn't care about what Trent was saying. She rushed through the forest so quick, unaware of where she was going or what lied ahead. Kira smacked every tree brach out of the way just to get out of the forest. As she threw the large palm leaves back, she came to the top of a waterfall. She stood at the tip of the cliff and looked over at the roaring water below. Trent emerged from the brush behind her and stood in front of her. "Kira what is going on?"asked Trent. Kira looked over at the roaring water and down the fall. The drop was long with many sharp rocks and large boulders hidden under the mist. Kira looked down and saw the water splash hard against the rocks. Fear built up in Kira's mind as she looked down at the water and then back at Trent. "We have to find them Trent!"Kira cried. "Kira, I don't know if we can. Who knows where they are,"said Trent. Kira heart sunk. _"How can he say that? Our friends are out there and need our help and he doesn't care!"_Kira thought. The ground began to slip beneath her feet. Kira couldn't feel it and Trent could not see the tip of the cliff Kira stood on beginning to crack. "Trent, we have to find them!"Kira cried once more. Trent felt Kira's sadness engulfed in her rage. He was afraid to approach her, unsure about what she was gonna do. Kira's frustration built up inside of her, surging through her body. She could feel the tension in her arms, pressure in her head and weight building deep into her feet, piercing through the soles of her shoes. The tip of the cliff Kira stood on began to crumble beneath her feet. Kira couldn't feel the rock crumbling. "Kira, I know we have to find them but please just think about what you are doing,"said Trent as he tried to inch closer to Kira. Trent feared for her, bewildered by her current actions. _"Please Kira, don't do something you will regret. Now is not the time,"_thought Trent. The cliff became weaker by the second as Kira's frustration grew. "Trent, what are we gonna do? We can't just stand here!"cried Kira. The rock began to break apart into larger pieces of stone, crashing into the roaring falls. Kira felt a rumble beneath her feet and looked down at the now cracked cliff. Her legs were stiff, unable to move off of the crumbling rocks. "Trent!"she screamed as the rocks beneath her collapsed completely, sending her into the roaring falls. Trent sprinted over to the tip of the cliff and grabbed a hold of Kira before she was trapped in the water. Roaring water from the falls hit against Kira's body as she dangled from the cliff with only Trent's hands for support.  
Conner held Skyler close as she wept into his shirt. "Skyler, what else does the Oracle want?" Skyler lifted her head up from Conner's chest. Her eyes were closed as they burned with tears filled with uncontrolled fear. She turned her head away from Conner and refused to look at him. "Conner, I have-."she began but then heard abrupt screaming from in the distance. Conner and Skyler shot up and noticed everyone had walked ahead. No one was insight. They could hear the screaming in the distance getting louder. "HELP!"cried the concerned voice. Conner and Skyler went running through he petrified forest, towards all of the screaming. Conner ran ahead of Skyler as she tried to keep up with the fast pace Conner was going in. Skyler began to slow down. "Skyler c'mon!"exclaimed Conner. He didn't turn around to see if Skyler was still following; he just kept running. "CONNER!"Skyler screamed. Conner stopped running and turned around to find Skyler gone. _"Where did she go?"_thought Conner to himself. Skyler had just disappeared. "HELP!"cried the voice again. Conner recognized who was screaming and began to run faster. _"It's Kira. She needs help. I have to find her,"_he thought as he sprinted through the forest. Conner leaped over a shrub and found himself in a clearing near the cliff hanger and water fall. Trent laid on the ground with his arms dangling over the cliff hanger and Kira on the other end of his hands. "HANG ON KIRA!"cried Trent. Kira could feel the roaring feeling of the water fall smacking against her body. The water hit against her face every so often, burning her eyes. "HOLD ON!"Conner cried as he looked around. The only ones in sight were Trent and Kira. _"Where the hell is everyone!"_he thought. Conner noticed Trent losing his grip and wasted no time in rushing over to help his friends. Conner leaned over the cliff hanger and reached for Kira's hands. Conner couldn't reach Kira's hands. Trent struggled to keep his grip on Kira. The water dampened both of their arms, loosening their grip. Kira tried not to lose her grip but couldn't keep a firm hold on Trent. Conner tried reaching for Kira again. He leaned farther down the cliff hanger to get closer to Kira. He tried to grab her hand but he couldn't. The water hit against Conner's hands as he reached for Kira. He scooted even closer to the edge of the cliff hanger and tried to reach her again. He leaned down again to try and grab Kira but lost his balance and tumbled down the cliff hanger. Kira let go one of her hands from Trent and grabbed Conner's hand. Conner swung into the waterfall and became engulfed in it's wrath. Trent struggled to hold onto Kira and Conner. He could feel his grip slipping. Kira tried to regain grip of Trent but her hand slipped. Kira and Conner began to fall down the cliff. Trent leaned as far as he could over the cliff hanger and grabbed Kira's hand. As Trent grabbed a hold of Kira once again, he felt very unstable and fell over the side as well. Kira, Conner and Trent screamed as they fell down the side of the cliff hanger. It was a very long drop and at the bottom of the cliff sat large pointy rocks. "Hang on!"cried a familiar voice. Kira almost hit the rocks but stopped in midair as well as Trent and Conner. Conner could feel the strength of a friend pierce through his skin and warm him up inside. Hoovering in midair, Kira, Trent, and Conner were unable to move. A warm glowing cloud surrounded their bodies. The cloud shined a bright blue. Slowly, their hoovering bodies were moved to a nearby cave underneath the waterfall. They floated right through the middle of the waterfall, not a drop touching their bodies. The glowing cloud was like a protective coating, they were as safe as they could be. Standing in the entrance of the cave was Skyler, her arm extended out in front of her and her body had an outline of turquoise. Kira, Trent and Conner hoovered inside the cave with Skyler right in front of them. Skyler lowered her arm slowly and let her friends feet touch the floor. Skyler's arm touched her waist and her body shed it's outer turquoise outline. Conner's feet touched the ground as well as Kira's and Trent's. The blue clouds disappeared from their bodies. _"I'm alive? How is that possible? I fell off the cliff? I must be a ghost of some kind. Either that or I'm losing my mind,"_thought Conner to himself. Skyler rushed over to Conner and jumped into his arms. She wrapped her arms around Conner's neck as he wrapped his arms around her waist and swung her in a small circle. Haley and Ethan rushed to Trent's side and made sure he was okay. Kira looked through the crowd and found the one man she was looking for. Kira eyeballed Tommy and approached him with a smile on her face. Tommy looked at Kira cheerfully skipping towards him. Kira threw her arms around Tommy's neck and he wrapped his arms around her waist. She felt so happy, refusing to let go, never wanting to let Tommy out of her sight again. Kira felt a small set of tears slip through her eyelids, filled with the joy of being reunited with the man she loved. Tommy kissed Kira gently on the cheek. "I was so worried about you. Are you alright?" Kira let go of Tommy neck as he let go of her waist. Tommy looked into Kira's beautiful doe eyes, small tears surrounding them. He gently wiped the tears away from her cheek. "I'm fine but I was so worried about you." Kira smirked and then turned her attention to the other rangers. "Okay, one thing I don't understand is how did we survive that fall?"asked Kira. Skyler turned away form Conner and looked towards Kira. "I was able to catch you in mid air and levitate your bodies into the cave using my telekinetic powers." Conner put his hand on Skyler's shoulder as she continued to look at Kira and Tommy. Skyler turned around and faced Conner. "Where did you disappear to when we were running? I heard you scream but when I turned around, you were gone,"said Conner. "I screamed because I fell into a sink hole. I didn't even know it was there. It was covered by a camouflage portal. That is why I am here. I found the others down here. Thea and Damien went to explore the cave's tunnels so I stayed behind with the others. You, Kira and Trent were the only ones missing. We heard the screaming and followed your voices down the caverns until we came here." "Thea and Damien? Where are they?"asked Trent. "Their still in the tunnels. They have been gone for a long time,"said Ethan. "Maybe we should go looking for them. What if something happened to them?"asked Kira, concerned for her friends. Tommy pulled Kira close to him. "We shouldn't worry about them too much. I have a feeling they will be just fine." Kira felt reassured by Tommy words. "Wait! Something's happening!"cried Skyler as she grabbed her head in pain. Skyler was beginning to see shadows in her head. Skyler was losing focus, feeling weak in the knees, feeling her body cramp and collapse. Skyler blacked out, falling into Conner's arms. Her body was so heavy, knocking Conner down to the ground with her in his arms. Skyler still held her hand to her head, now starting to breathe heavily. "Skyler, what's wrong?"asked Conner. Skyler didn't respond, just laid there. "What's the matter with her?"asked Kira as she grabbed a hold of Tommy's hands. Everyone looked down at Skyler as she laid motionless in Conner's arms. Skyler could see the black clouds in her head fading, revealing images of Thea and Damien in the caverns. She could see Thea and Damien, trapped somewhere in the caves tunnels, struggling against the Oracle's power. She could see the Oracle draining their powers. "Skyler!"cried Thea. "Help us!"cried Damien. Skyler wriggled in Conner's arms, trying to fight back the terrible thoughts haunting her. "No, Thea. Damien, no,"mumbled Skyler, her eyes still closed. "Skyler, Skyler, wake up,"said Conner as he shook her gently. Skyler opened her eyes slightly and focused her eyes on Conner's head luring above her, upside down from her perspective. Her head was still throbbing, ached with the pain of terrifying thoughts. "Thea and Damien need help,"said Skyler under her breath. Trent looked at Haley confused. "What are you talking about?"he asked. Conner helped Skyler sit up, her head still spinning, trying to focus. "Something's wrong with Thea and Damien. We have to find them,"she said. Skyler got up slowly, still not completely herself again. "Skyler, take it easy. We will find them but you need to slow down,"said Haley, concerned for her friend. Skyler was finally able to see straight, looking ahead at the tunnel in the cavern. "They're trapped, in the cavern. The Oracle found them. They need our help." "Are you sure about this?"asked Ethan. Skyler nodded and ran down the cavern tunnel. "Skyler wait!"cried Conner as he chased after her. The other followed behind Conner, unsure of where they were headed.  
Skyler ran faster and faster down the cavern tunnel, not knowing what to expect. Conner followed behind her hoping she would stop soon. "Skyler, where are you going?"he asked. Skyler ignored him completely. In the distance, Skyler could hear a familiar voice. "Go back and get the others. This is it,"said the voice. "That's Thea! She's dead ahead! C'mon!"cried Skyler as she ran faster towards Thea's voice in the cavern. _"Don't stop talking Thea. I'm gonna find you. Please be okay,"_thought Skyler. Skyler walked around the corner of the cavern and walked right into Damien's arms. Skyler looked up at Damien and held him close to her, small tears slipping from her face as a relief. Conner came around the corner and found Skyler in Damien's arms. The others came around the corner as well and were pleased to see Damien. "I'm glad you all are here. Follow me. Thea has found the Oracle,"said Damien. Skyler released her grip from Damien as she calmed down, trying to concentrate on the mission ahead. Everyone walked into the cave filled with lighted candles and a statue standing in the middle of the cave, on top of a large platform, surrounded by a thin creek of water from the falls. Small steps stretched across the creek to the statue. The statue depicted the form of a tall goddess with long wavy hair and a dress all the way down passed her ankles. The cave was large, there was enough room for everyone to stand. Everone took a place around the platform and looked towards the statue. "This is it. This is where we have to call upon the Oracle,"said Thea. Skyler couldn't take her eyes off of the statue. _"I am yours. Please let us regain our powers. You don't understand what we have went through to get here. I will sacrifice anything to you just to get our powers back. I, Skyler Lyn Ashton Clark, the Turquoise Phoenix Ranger, request that you answer my prayer. I will pay the price at any cost for my friends and family,_"Skyler thought to herself. "I'm ready Thea,"said Skyler as she turned to Thea. Thea nodded her head as she unhooked her pendant and put it around Skyler's neck. Damien did the same thing. "Good Luck Skyler,"said Damien as he hugged her. Damien stepped away as well as Thea. The others didn't know what was going on, no one bothered to say anything. Skyler turned towards back to the statue and sighed. "Here goes nothing,"she mumbled to herself as she walked towards the statue. Skyler stepped onto the steps and then onto the platform. She stood directly in front of the statue and looked into the eyes of the Oracle. Skyler sighed as she closed her eyes. Her body began to glow turquoise with an outline of purple and then another outline of silver. Skyler lifted the pendants from her chest and rested them into the palms of her hands. She held her hands in front of her chest. "I call upon the great Oracle of the Phoenix, the source to all that is good and mighty. Hear my voice and rise. Hear me call. I am the Turquoise Phoenix Ranger. Rise Great Oracle! Rise! RISE!"said Skyler. A rumble came from beneath the cave and cracked every piece of rock. Suddenly, A flash of light erupted from the statue, bursting through the roof of the cave, shattering it into rubble. "Answer me Great Oracle!"cried Skyler. A flash of light appeared in front of Skyler, swiping the pendants from her neck and grabbing the Dino Gems from the other Rangers. The light dropped the Dino Gems and pendants in front of the statue. Skyler was losing her concentration, feeling the Oracle drain her of all her power. She couldn't move, feeling constricted by the Oracle's power surrounding her body. The Dino Gems began to glow as well as the Phoenix Pendants on the ground. The powerful light encircled Skyler in a shining cyclone of power. Skyler couldn't move. Conner watched dumbfounded as Skyler was being stripped of her powers by the Oracle. The light continued to cyclone as it turned silver, turquoise, and purple. It had sucked all of the power away from Skyler. Skyler let out a small scream and then went silent. The light released her and then encircled the Dino Gems and Phoenix Pendants. Skyler's face went pale, her eyes rolled into the back of her head as her eyelids closed and she fell to the ground. The light surged around the Dino Gems and Phoenix Pendants, turning into a rainbow of light. The light floated up above Skyler's head, reflecting the light onto her skin. The cyclone of light created a small explosion over Skyler's head as she still laid motionless of the platform. Out of the explosion came a silver box. The shining light disappeared into the statue of the Oracle leaving the unconscious Skyler on the platform.  
"Skyler!"cried Conner as he ran up onto the platform. Tommy followed behind him, dodging in front and scooping Skyler up into his arms. Conner knelt down next to Tommy and gently held Skyler's weak hand in his. Kira jumped up onto the platform and sat on the other side of Tommy. The sight of Skyler made her want to cry out but she held it in. Thea and Damien walked up onto the platform and approached the box left behind by the Oracle. Haley, Ethan and Trent jumped up onto the platform as well. Haley looked over Damien's shoulder as he opened the silver box, revealing the Dino Gems and Phoenix Pendants. There were the red, blue, yellow, black, and white Dino Gems as well as turquoise, purple and silver. There were also new Phoenix pendants with the Dino Rangers engraved on them just like the other Phoenix Rangers. "We did it! We have our new powers!"cried Thea as she pulled the silver box out of Damien's hands and revealed what was inside to the others. Thea placed the box on the ground and let everyone look at their powers. "Don't you mean Mesosgog's new powers Purple Phoenix Ranger?" Zabia appeared from behind the brush of the thick forest. Lifting his arm with his sword extended, Zabia swirled his arm around in a circle. The background behind them changed. The land was no longer dark but became brighter. They were no longer in the Oracle's dimension but back in the petrified forest of Reefside. "I believe you have something that belongs to Mesogog and you have something that belongs to me Silver Ranger. You have my life,"said Zabia as he approached the platform. Damien shoved the box into Thea's arms and motioned her off the platform. "Get out of here everyone. Get back to the lab. Protect the powers! Go Now!"shouted Damien. Thea passed the box to Haley and stood next to Damien. "I will never leave you. If it's a fight he wants than it's a fight he'll get." Zabia walked towards the platform. "Stand strong everyone. Hold your ground,"said Thea. Ethan stood next to Thea, planting his feet firmly into the cement. Trent went next to Damien, standing securely next to him. Haley thought this would be the perfect opportunity to escape to the lab and protect the powers. She knelt down next to Tommy as he still held Skyler in his arms. "We should get Skyler back to the lab. It's not safe to keep her out here,"said Haley. Tommy looked down at Skyler's pale face, struggling to stay alive. "Your right. I'll take her back to the lab. We have to find somewhere to store the powers until we can find a safe time to use them,"said Tommy. Kira grabbed Tommy's arm, pulling him back down to her. "You are not going anywhere. I will go back with Haley. The Rangers need your strength." Tommy knew he should do what Kira had said, she was right. He didn't want to admit she was but agreed with her. "Fine. You and Haley take Skyler back to the lab and come back as soon as you can." Kira reached for Skyler and lifted her out of Tommy's arms with Haley's assistance. "Be careful Kira,"said Tommy. Kira smiled as she leaned Skyler over her shoulder. "You too. I will be back as soon as I can." Haley and Kira walked the still unconscious Skyler off of the platform and began to walk off into the petrified forest.  
"Do you really need your piers to protect you Damien? I thought you were able to fight on your own,"smirked Zabia. Damien felt strength surge through his hands emerge into a fist. "This will be your last fight Zabia. You will be giving me my life back which you stole." Zabia charged towards Damien and he charged back. Zabia grabbed Damien and pinned him to the ground, holding his sword above Damien's head. "Damien!"cried Thea. Zabia lifted his sword to the Rangers and shot a laser towards them. The Rangers were thrown back onto the platform by Zabia's laser. "Don't even think about taking another step closer or I will kill him and you,"said Zabia. Zabia looked past the smoke of his laser and saw Haley and Kira sneaking off with Skyler and the powers. Zabia grabbed Damien by his shirt collar and held him up, his sword barely touching Damien's neck. "I will take my life back from you later. Right now, I need to retrieve Mesosgog's newly found powers." Zabia threw Damien down on the ground, his sword blade sliding across Damien's face. Damien cried out in pain as the blade rubbed across his face, leaving a slash mark across his cheek. He hit hard against the ground. Thea ran out towards Zabia in anger. "You monster!"she cried as she grabbed Zabia by the arm. Zabia threw her off easily and pursued after Haley and Kira. Ethan and Trent to hold him off but they were also tossed off. Tommy and Conner tried to attack Zabia but was unsuccessful, finding himself eating dirt like the other fallen rangers. Zabia looked back at the fallen rangers and cackled. "I thought you Power Rangers would at least give me somewhat of a fight. You are such worthless beings." Zabia put his sword back in his belt and ran off into the distance. Tommy got back up off the ground and chased after Zabia. _"You will not lay a hand on them, not while I'm here. Hang on girls. I'm coming to save you,"_thought Tommy as he chased after Zabia. Tommy could feel a strength pulsing through his body as he ran faster through the forest. It wasn't long before Tommy reached Zabia. Zabia had Kira and Haley cornered in a dead end, Skyler was waking up as she laid in Kira's arms. Skyler opened her eyes and saw the putrid face of Zabia looking back up at her. Skyler froze, her body stiffened into Kira's chest. "It's okay Skyler,"said Kira, trying to comfort Skyler as best she could. Skyler eyeballed Tommy standing behind Zabia like a snake ready to strike. Tommy stood inches away from Zabia ready to attack so the girls could get away. Tommy was about to grab Zabia by the back of the neck but was stopped by Zabia, grabbing his wrist and twisting his arm. Zabia whacked Tommy in the leg with his sword, watching the blood seep out through his pants. Tommy groaned in pain as Zabia knocked him to the ground. Skyler couldn't stand to watch her friend in pain. She bolted up from Kira's lap and jumped up onto Zabia's back. Zabia released Tommy and tried to fight Skyler off. Skyler held her arms tight around Zabia's neck, constricting him to the best of her ability. Zabia felt Skyler's leg kick him hard in the hip over and over. He grabbed her leg and tossed her off his body sending her flying into the air. Zabia drew out his sword and shot a laser straight at at Skyler's hovering body. The laser caught Skyler in midair. "How dare you challenge me!" Zabia pointed his sword to a tree, motioning the laserr in that direction. Skyler was released from the laser and was sent flying. Her back slammed into the tree and she was knocked to the ground. Haley and Kira rushed over to Skyler. Kira was afraid to move Skyler, worried that Zabia might have killed her. Skyler could barely breathe, her eyes were rolling into the back of her head as she was knocked out again. Kira felt a rush of fury streaming through her body. "How could he do this? Zabia is truly a monster,"she though to herself. Kira leaned down towards Skyler and released a single tear. "This is for you Skyler." Kira bolted up and charged towards Zabia. Zabia turned around and aimed his sword directly at Kira who wouldn't stop running. Tommy looked up and saw Kira was in danger. Kira didn't stop running. Zabia aimed his sword directly at Kira and readied the laser. "No, Kira!"cried Tommy as he bolted up and ran towards Kira, ignoring the pain in his leg as best he could. Zabia shot his laser at Kira. Tommy bolted in front of Kira and knocked her out of the laser's fire and throwing himself in the way. Kira landed on the ground and looked back up at Tommy. "NO!"she screamed as she watched Tommy struggle in the laser's fire. Zabia lowered his sword and put it back in his belt. Tommy was released from the laser's grasp and dropped onto the ground. Kira rushed over to Tommy's side and held him in her arms. "Were finished here, for now. Beware Rangers. I will return for the powers and when I do, you will be at my mercy!"said Zabia as he called upon an invisi-portal. Zabia stepped through and disappeared into the darkness. Kira looked down to Tommy as he laid in her arms, shocked by the laser that struck him. Kira sat on the ground and held Tommy close to her.


	6. Sadness

Chapter 6

Kira remembered holding Tommy in her arms, watching his eyelids slowly close as he began to slip away from her. "You can't leave me. I need you, more than you need me. Please Tommy don't leave me,"she whimpered as Tommy laid in her arms.

Kira sat in the waiting room of Reefside General with Thea by her side, holding her hand. Thea tried to comfort Kira and at the same time, comfort herself. She knew Skyler would probably die but didn't want to show everyone else her fear. Kira looked at the other rangers sitting around her. Trent sat on the other side of Kira and rubbed her shoulders gently. Ethan and Haley sat across from them in. Ethan was very anxious to know if Tommy was alright. "Everything's gonna be fine Kira,"said Ethan as he got up out of his chair. "I really don't know if it is. I know that if I pray for everything to be fine, it probably will be. My heart is saying everything will be fine but it's hard to believe it." Thea leaned over and embraced Kira in a comforting hug. "It's hard on all of us but we have to be strong." Thea let go of Kira and wiped the tears out of her face. "Kira, I promise you, everything will be fine in the end. We will make it turn out right." Kira calmed down and managed to smile a small smile. "I hope your right Thea,"said Kira as she looked over to Conner, standing by a window. Conner stared blankly out of the window at the parking lot. Cars were pulling in and pulling out. Conner didn't seem to care about what he was doing. He only cared for Skyler and couldn't stop thinking about her_. "Why does this have to happen to her? What has Skyler ever done to deserve this. I would do anything to switch places with her right now. Anything to get her out of the pain she is in. Hang in there Skyler. I need you to be with me. You can't leave me,"_Conner thought. With a solemn sigh, Conner felt tears burn the back of his eyes. "Conner, are you alright,"asked Haley. Conner quickly wiped the tears he felt slipping past his eyelids and looked towards Haley. "Yeah, I'm fine." Haley glanced over at Conner, knowing he was lying. She could see his eyes were red and he was trying to fight back his tears. Haley was about to say something when Damien appeared from around the corner of the hallway, a doctor following behind him. Damien had his cheek bandaged from where Zabia had sliced him and slight limp on his left leg. Thea jumped up out of her chair and leaped into Damien's arms. He didn't grab a hold of her right away but finally conceited into her hug. Her wrapped his sore arms around her waist and allowed a single tear to slip down his cheek and onto her shoulder. Damien released his grip from Thea and she did the same. "Hello everyone. I'm Dr. Harrison and I'm here to talk to you about Skyler Clark and, um, Tommy Oliver." Kira jumped out of her seat and set herself right in front of Dr. Harrison. "Is Tommy alright? How is he?" Dr. Harrison pulled her hair out of her face and looked down at the clipboard in front of her with a sigh. "Tommy should be fine. We have him stabled but he is still unconscious. There is no sign of a concussion or broken bones. The gash on his leg will heal slowly and leave him unable to walk for about a week or so. Once he wakes up, he will be okay but we can't seem to wake him up." Kira sighed a sigh of relief, knowing Tommy will be alright. "What about Skyler?"asked Conner the fear and anxiety behind his eyes growing. Dr. Harrison motioned for Conner to sit down and he did. Dr. Harrison took the seat next to him. "She's on a life support. I'm sorry but I don't think she will be able to recover. She is in a coma and we can't seem to get her out of it. We have been giving her all of the possible treatments but she isn't responding. Her spine is bruised badly and her right shoulder is even worse. She has an open wound on her shoulder and we have managed to stitch it up the best we could. She is just in terrible shape and I wish there was another way I could tell you this. I'm really sorry." Conner sat in the chair dumbfounded from what he was hearing. His heart skipped a beat as it sank to the bottom of his chest. Dr. Harrison placed her hand on top of Conner's and felt the tension race through his veins that were beginning to pierce through his now pale skin. "I'm so sorry,"said Dr. Harrison. "Can we see them?"asked Damien. Dr. Harrison stood up with another sigh. "One at a time, you may go see Tommy but I don't think anyone should see Skyler yet." "Can I see Tommy?"asked Kira. Dr. Harrison nodded and led Kira down the hallway to Tommy's room. Conner didn't move from his chair. He was froze with the anxiety of what could possibly happen. "Conner, are you alright?"asked Trent. Conner snapped back into reality and felt a tear slip down his face. "I'm fine."

Dr. Harrison opened the door to Tommy's room and walked Kira in. Kira froze in the entrance at the sight of Tommy. She didn't know what to expect. _"He's okay. It could be worse than I imagined but it's not. I'm happy he's okay. He will be okay. Please be okay Tommy,"_she thought. Dr. Harrison put her hand on Kira's shoulder. "You can go in and see him." Kira felt her legs begin to shake as she slowly motioned to his bed. Kira sat down on the chair beside Tommy and stroked his cheek. "Oh my gosh." Kira stroked his cheek again and then kissed him gently. "You can talk to him. Even though he's unconscious, he can still hear you,"said Dr. Harrison. Kira stared at Tommy with devotion and felt small tears sting the back of her eyes. Dr. Harrison left Kira alone in the room with Tommy. Kira wondered what she would say to him. "Tommy, I love you." All Kira could say were her true feelings for him. "I wish there was more I could say to you."

Dr. Harrison walked out the door and began to walk to another room. Conner got up from his chair and approached her. "Dr. Harrison, may I please see Skyler? I won't be long. I just have to see her." Dr. Harrison shook her head. "Conner. She isn't ready for any visitors. I'm sorry but there is nothing I can do for you." Dr. Harrison walked down the hall and Conner followed. Conner gently grabbed Dr. Harrison by the arm and turned her attention back to him. "Please. I have to see her. Dr. Harrison, you don't know how much she means to me. I need to look at her, just for a minute. Please." Dr. Harrison sighed and removed her glasses, setting them into her coat pocket. "Alright Conner. I can let you visit her but only for a few minutes and I must warn you, what you are about to see may be a little shocking. So, be prepared." Dr. Harrison walked up to Skyler's room, 726, and opened the door. Dr. Harrison lead Conner into the room. Conner got a glimpse of Skyler and couldn't believe the kind of condition she was in. _"This isn't her. It can't be. Oh hell! It's true, Skyler is dying,"_Conner feared. Skyler had the ventilator tube attached to her mouth as she laid on the bed motionless. Conner walked over to her bedside and held her scraped hand in his. Conner felt a heavy stream of tears begin to flood his eyes. Dr. Harrison placed her hand on Conner's shoulder and sighed. "I wish there was more I could do for her. I'm her boyfriend; I'm supposed to be there for her. I feel so helpless,"said Conner. "There is nothing you can do accept pray. You should her in our hands,"said Dr. Harrison as she walked in front of Conner and looked him in the eye. "Conner, I promise you that I will not let her go. I will do whatever it takes to save her for you." Conner nodded and left Skyler's room with Dr. Harrison. Conner walked back to where everyone was sitting. He sat down in his chair and buried his face in his hands. "Why did this have to happen to her?"he asked, his voice muffled by his hands. Thea stood next to Conner's chair and looked over his shoulder. Tears dripping down her cheek, Thea embraced her arms around Conner and whispered in his ear. "It's out of our hands. There is nothing I could do for her. I would heal her if I could but I can't. I am so sorry." Thea let go of Conner and wiped the tears running down her cheek.

Kira came out of Tommy's room and sat back down with the others. She pulled her hair out of her face and wiped her eyes. With a sigh, she managed to throw Conner a smile but he rejected it. "I know how you feel Conner but we have to be strong." Conner nodded his head and buried his face again in his palms. Dr. Harrison appeared from Skyler's room and walked towards where everyone was sitting. "I don't know how to explain this to you but I think it would be in Skyler's best interest if we just let her go." Conner was about ready to snap. "No! You told me that you would do whatever it takes. You said you weren't gonna let her go! You promised me!" Conner stood over Dr. Harrison and stared at her. "Doctor, there isn't any other alternatives? Please, Skyler is my sister. I can't lose her. She is the only family I have left." Dr. Harrison sighed as she held Skyler's charts in her arms. "I wish there was more that we could do but she has only been getting worse since she has been here. If you are very insisted that the life support shouldn't be shut off, then we will keep trying but at the rate she is going, I don't think she will make it. I would like you to think about this tonight and come back with a final decision as soon as you can. I will give you at least 3 days." The curled up close to Damien, her face buried deep in his chest. Thea cried uncontrollably as Damien caressed her in his arms. Conner leaped up out of his chair and stormed furiously out of the hospital waiting room. Thrashing through the double doors and getting into his red 2005 mustang, Conner leaned on the steering wheel before he burst into tears. He closed the door and placed the keys into the ignition. With a final sigh and a stream of tears, Conner thought to himself _"What the hell am I gonna do without her?" _

Damien sat at Skyler's side with Thea clung to his arms. Kira sat with them and couldn't help but cry when she looked at Skyler. Haley sat on the other side of her bed with Trent right next to her and Ethan massaging her shoulders. "I only wish there was more we could do. I feel so helpless,"said Kira. Thea put her hands on top of Kira's. "There is nothing we can do but pray." "Can't you use your healing power Thea?"asked Trent. "There is nothing I can do. She is too weak. Even if I tried, I couldn't save her."Dr. Harrison entered Skyler's room with a gentle smile on her face. "I'm afraid visiting hours are over. Kira, you can go say your good byes to Tommy really quick and if the rest of you would like to see him as well, you may fill free to do so. Damien, you may stay here with Skyler over night if you must since you're her immediate family." Damien looked to Thea and then back at Dr. Harrison. "What about Thea?" Thea caressed Damien close to her and sighed. "It might be best if I go home. I can do what I need to do and try to keep my mind off of all this craziness. I'll be here right away in the morning to be with you again, I promise." Damien nodded and embraced Thea in a long hug followed by a quick kiss. Kira walked over and wrapped her arms around Damien's neck. "I will pray for you both tonight and wish for only the best." Damien smiled as he looked her in the eye. "Kira, I appreciate your support. I have never met a young woman with as much care and love as you have. I will make sure I call you if anything happens to Tommy." Kirea smiled and walked out the door with the others and into Tommy's room. Thea got up off her chair and slowly followed the others into Tommy's room. She stopped in the doorway and turned around, looking back at Damien. "Go Thea, I'll be fine." Thea walked out of the room and closed the door slowly behind her. Entering Tommy's room with her arms crossed and tears escaping her eyes, she managed to sit down on a nearby chair. Trent walked up behind her and massaged her shoulders. "It's gonna be alright Thea." Thea stood up and wiped the tears from her face and began to walk to the door. "I think I am gonna go right now. I have some other things I have to do." Without even saying good bye, Thea walked out the door of Tommy's room. She began to walk down the hallway of the hospital but paused once she reached the elevator. Reaching for the elevator button, she paused for a moment before completely breaking down into tears.


	7. What to do Without You

Chapter 7

Conner arrived home as the rain began to pour. He sat in his car with the motor still running, unwilling to move from his seat. He tried to hold back all of the anger and fear that he felt but it was too much. Conner slammed his fists against the wheel, blaring the car horn. _"Why sis it have to happen to Skyler? How could Dr. Harrison leave us with such a hard decision? I don't understand why we might have to turn her life support off. She can make it. I know she can. There is no question about it. If something does happen to her, what will I do?"_Conner let the questions haunt him for some time before he actually brought up enough courage to go in the house. Conner walked up to the front door and slowly opened it. His brother, Eric, sat on the couch watching TV with the lights down low. He turned the TV off the minute his brother walked in the door and got up from the couch. "Conner, where have you been? Mom has been going nuts waiting for you to get back." Conner completely ignored his brother and waked towards the stairs. "Hey stupid I'm talking to you,"called Eric as he followed his brother over to the stairs. "Conner? Conner, are you home?"asked Roxanne McKnight walked into the room. "Conner! Where have you been?"Roxanne pulled her son off the steps and into her arms, refusing to let go. "I'm fine Mom. Some things have come up. I didn't mean to scare you guys." "Next time call and let me know if you want to scare the living daylights out of Mom. I'll help you next time,"chuckled Eric, trying to lighten the mood. Roxanne hit her son in the head as he continued to laugh and then plant himself back on the couch. "Well, dinners ready guys come on in and eat,"said Roxanne as she headed back into the kitchen. "I'm not that hungry Mom. I think I'm gonna go rest for a while,"said Conner. Roxanne came back out of the kitchen and approached her son again. "Conner baby are you sure? You've been gone all day. At least let me make you a grilled cheese sandwich or something." Conner shook his head. "I think I just need to restMy head's a bit cloudy." Roxanne smiled at her son and then let him go upstairs. Conner walked into his room and shut the door. He threw himself onto his bed and buried his face into the pillow. Reaching over to his night stand, Conner pressed the 'on' button and listened to the CD. The quiet tune flooded his head with the time he first met Skyler. He thought of what a moron he was but knew Skyler didn't care. _"There will never be another girl that makes me feel the way I do when I'm around her. Why does it have to be this way." _Then there was a knock at his door. "Conner, Mom sent you a grilled cheese sandwich, some coke and two Motrin for your headache,"said Eric through the wall. Conner didn't reply. Eric walked into the room with a small tray in his hands. He set it on the night stand and shut off the music. "Eric, what the hell!"snapped Conner. Eric glared at his brother in a disgusted manner. "What's wrong with you? Your not normally like this. You definitely don't have a headache but there is something else that's wrong with you. Now, spill it." Conner sat up in his bed and sat next to his brother. "Do remember the girl I told you about. The dancer I met at Cyberspace? Well, I love her. She's actually in the hospital right now and the doctor doesn't think she will make it. The doctor is giving us a choice on whether or not to shut off the life support machine. Eric, I can't lose her. I really can't." Eric watched as his brother's eyes welled up with tears. "Hey, I'm sorry man. I'll, uh. I'll leave you alone for a while." Eric walked out of his brother's room and closed the door behind him. Conner laid back on his bed and grabbed his sandwich off the night stand. He slowly nibbled at the crust until the warm cheese touched his dry lips. Conner put the sandwich back on his night stand and went over to his dresser, pulling out a pair of red sweats. He changed into his sweats and then threw his jeans into the clothes hamper. He laid back down on his bed and finished off the rest of his sandwich. Conner took a sip of his coke and then found himself feeling very drowsy. After another sip, Conner found himself dozing off into a quiet slumber.

Kira drove home late that night. As she unlocked the front door, she heard the phone ring. Quickly pushing the door open, Kira burst into the house and dropped her stuff in the doorway. Kira ran into the kitchen and grabbed the phone during the third ring. "Hello?" "Hey Kira honey,"said a familiar voice. Kira walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out a bowl of grapes and then sat down at the table. "Hey Mom. How's the business trip?" Lynette Ford sighed in the background. "It could be going better. Your Father and I are staying here longer than we thought." Kira plopped a grape into her mouth. "Mom, exactly how long is longer than you thought?" "Well, about one, two three, weeks,"explained Lynette. Kira choked on her grape. She swallowed it as best she could and then got a glass of water. As she gulped it down, she listened to her Mother in the background. "Kira? Kira honey? Are you there?" Kira put her water glass down and sighed. "I'm fine Mom. I just choked on a grape. Hey, can I talk to Dad?" Lynette handed the phone to Brandon Ford who sat at a table typing on his laptop. "Hey sweetie. Look, I'm sorry we have to stay here longer than we thought but work has been getting harder." Kira sat down at the table again. "I know Dad. It's not your fault work is so hectic. I just wish you guys didn't have to be gone so long. I feel really by myself. There has just been a lot of chaos going on over here, you know? I miss you guys."Brandon sighed into the phone. "I'm so sorry Kira. Hey, I'll call you tomorrow sweetheart. Your Mother and I have to get back to work." Kira smiled as she took another grape out of the bowl. "Okay Dad. I'll talk to you tomorrow." Kira hung up the phone and placed it back onto the receiver. She grabbed her bowl of grapes and went into the living room. She placed the bowl onto the coffee table and went into her room. Grabbing her pajamas out of the top dresser drawer, Kira changed into her yellow pajama bottoms and a yellow top with a singing monkey. Kira looked at herself in the long mirror next to her closet and began to put her hair up into a high ponytail. Kira began to hum Freak You Out as she fiddled with her hair and then looked over at her guitar. Kira released her hair from her grasp and reached down for her guitar. Kira held her guitar in her hands as she stood in front of the mirror. She walked back into the living room with her guitar in hand and sat on the couch. Kira laid back on the couch pillows and rested her guitar on her chestShe gently laid her fingers on the strings and plucked a simple chord. She didn't know what she was playing and just felt relaxed but her relaxation was soon ceased as her guitar string snapped. "Damn!" Kira ran back to her room and grabbed a bag of strings out of a cabinet above her bed. Kira brought the bag of strings back out to her guitar just stared at the snapped string. "Why have all of my relationships snapped?"Kira bent down and stroked her guitar. _"I have never felt this way. I don't know what has come over me. I feel really alone; by myself. Tommy isn't here, no one else is here. It's just me. Not even my parents are here. I hate this feeling. I don't like to be alone." _Kira put the bag of guitar strings on the couch and went back into her room. Looking over to her desk, she spotted a frame in front of her computer. She walked over to her desk and picked up the frame, observing the picture. "I remember this. Haley wanted a picture of all of us to hang up in the lab. Nobody wanted to take the picture but Haley was so persistent. I remember Conner whining like a little baby because he doesn't like taking pictures and Ethan was right in the middle of a game. That was a moment I won't forget. It was a time when we were all together." Kira looked at the picture. They were all in the lab. Conner and Ethan knelt down on the floor, Trent and Kira stood next to Tommy in front of the computer. Kira suddenly became tired as she yawned. She went back into the living room and shut the lights off and then back into her room. Kira laid in her bed tossing and turning, thoughts running through her mind of anything imaginable. Most of her thought were memories coming back to haunt her. _"I can't get over my fear of being alone. What is the matter with me?" _Kira got up out of bed and strolled down the hall, into the bathroom. As she switched the light on, she looked at herself in the mirror. She could see the right side of her face but her left looked like a blurry shadow. Kira began to panic. She reached for a washcloth hanging on the towel rack and dampened it with warm water. Kira let the water run as she stroked her face with the washcloth. Drying herself with a large towel, Kira looked at herself again in the mirror. She was still missing the left side of her face. _"Easy Kira. There is nothing wrong with you. It's just an illusion. Your are tired and can't sleep. Just relax. Everything will be fine in the morning." _Kira walked back into her room and back into bed. After tossing and turning for another hour, Kira finally managed to find a restless sleep.

Thea awoke on her couch with Trent beside her. "Thea are you alright? Can you hear me?" Thea could barely see; her vision was so blurryHer head was throbbing in pain. Thea massaged her head with her fingers. Her eyes opened and closed slowly as Trent stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. Thea finally focused her vision and looked up at Trent. "Haley, she's awake!"called Trent from the living room Haley and Ethan walked into the living room from Thea's kitchen, Ethan carrying Charlie, the puppy in his arms. "Thea, thank goodness your awake,"said Haley as she sat down on the arm of the couch next to Thea. Haley placed a damp wash cloth on Thea's head as she began to regain full consciousness. "What's going on here?"asked Thea, barely keeping her eyes open. Haley helped Thea sit up and gave her a warm glass of chamomile tea. Ethan put Charlie down on the floor and watched him prance around on the floor with his toy. "You past out in the hospital hallway, right in front of the elevator. Are you okay?" Thea sat up completely as Haley removed the wet washcloth from Thea's forehead. "I feel fine. My head hurts but that's it. So, I past out in the hallway?" "Yeah. We escorted you back to Damien and you didn't even wake up. You laid with him for about an hour and then we drove you home,"said Trent. "Hey, now that she's awake Trent, I'm gonna take Ethan home and then I have to get back to the lab,"said Haley. Trent nodded his head as Ethan and Haley walked out the door. "How was Skyler?" Trent looked Thea in the eye and sighed. "She's made no improvements. I'm sorry Thea." Thea felt tears burning the back of her eyes. "Damien wanted me to give you this,"said Trent as he pulled a torn picture out of his pocket. It was singed on the edges from fire flames and crinkled in every place imaginable. It was a shot of Damien and Skyler and a part of Thea's body with some other adults in the background. They were all dressed up in front of a gorgeous backyard.. Thea took the picture into her hands and began to cry out more tears than her eyes could produce. Thea got up off the couch and went up downstairs, into a family room. She went down a hallway and into her bedroom. Thea looked under her bed and pulled out many shoe boxes full of pictures.

"Thea? Are you okay?"Trent asked as he came into the room. Thea rummaged through the shoe boxes of pictures until she found what she was looking for. She held another torn picture in her hand. This one had the rest of Thea's body in it with some other adults. Thea put the two pictures together and laid them down on her bed. Trent sat down on the bed next to Thea and looked over at the torn pictures. Thea rummaged through the box again and found a roll of clear tape. She pulled off two strips and connected the pictures together again. "Thea, what is all this?"asked Trent as he looked through the pictures Thea had scattered on the bed. Thea held the once torn picture in her hand and showed it to Trent. Trent grasped the picture and looked at it. "That was taken seven years ago when our lives were still perfect. This was all before Zabia arrived. Skyler was still young and Damien and I just started competing in dance competitions. I thought nothing could possibly go wrong,"said Thea. Trent put his arm around Thea's shoulder and caressed her in his arms. "I'm sorry Thea. Do you want to talk about it?" Thea pushed Trent away and stood up in front of her closet. "I'm not ready to talk about it. It's just too hard to even think about it. The memories are too painful. I'm sorry Trent." Trent began to walk out of the room but stopped in the doorway. "Thea, you know if you need someone to talk to, I'll be around if you need me." Thea rummaged through the box until she got to the bottom. There was a CD in a black case with a picture of a phoenix on it with all of the phoenix colors. Thea walked over to Trent and handed him the CD. "If you want to know more about my life as well as Damien's and Skyler's watch this CD but only when the other Dino rangers are with you. Under no circumstance may you watch this without them." Trent took the CD and stroked the cover. "I'll take care of it,"said Trent as he walked out of the room.

Thea stood frozen in the doorway as she watched Trent walk up the stairs. He walked out the door and into his car then drove off. Thea heard the car pulling away and went up to the front door. She peered through the window next to the door and saw he was gone. Thea went upstairs into the attic and flipped the switch, illuminating the room. It was a bare room with a hard wood floor, mirrors in the front and a barre (used in dance for ballet and stretching) in the back. There was a small desk on the other side of the room with a stereo system on top Thea threw her sandals off and set them down on the bench against the wall, grabbing her jazz shoes and throwing them on. Thea pushed play on the stereo and listened to the music play. As the instrumentals played, Thea stepped in the middle of the room. As the words rolled out of the speaker, Thea danced slowly to the music.

_I watched the proverbial sunrise  
coming up over the Pacific and  
you might think I'm losing my mind,  
but I will shy away from the specifics...  
_

_'cause I don't want you to know where I am  
'cause then you'll see my heart  
in the saddest state it's ever been.  
_

_This is no place to try and live my life_

The song always made Thea cry. As her body slipped down into the floor, into the center splits, Thea felt the tears roll down her cheek. Thea felt her body breaking down to the words of the song but kept moving to the music.

_I'm sorry for the person I became.  
I'm sorry that it took so long for me to change.  
I'm ready to try and never become that way again  
'cause who I am hates who I've been.  
Who I am hates who I've been._

I talk to absolutely no one.  
Couldn't keep to myself enough.  
And the things bottled inside have finally begun   
to create so much pressure that I'll soon blow up.

I heard the reverberating footsteps  
sinking up to the beating of my heart,  
and I was positive that unless I got myself together,I would watch me fall apart.

And I can't let that happen again  
'cause then you'll see my heart  
in the saddest state it's ever been.

This is no place to try and live my life.

Thea began to calm down as the song continued. The words went straight into her heart and shot back out through her legs and arms as she moved to the music. _"This song really tells me what kind of person I am. I hate who I have become. I am not strong like my Father and not a hero like my Mother. I was never this weak and now I find myself crying all the time and it's uncontrolled. I need to be able to find myself and regain the strength and courage I once had. I must be strong." _

_Who I am hates who I've been  
and who I am won't take the second chance you gave me.  
Who I am hates who I've been  
'cause who I've been only ever made me..._

So sorry for the person I became.  
So sorry that it took so long for me to change.  
I'm ready to try and never become that way again  
'cause who I am hates who I've been.  
Who I am hates who I've been.

Thea found herself once again on the floor at the end of the song. The song made her feel calm and renewed. Thea walked over to the stereo and shut off the machine. Thea stared at the blank side of wall next to her desk.. Thea stood in front of the blank side of the wall and stared. Thea pulled he pendant off of her neck and held it in front of her.She closed her eyes and began to breathe heavily as her pendant began to glow a bright shade of purple. A portal opened where the wall once was. Thea lowered her pendant and stepped through the portal. The second her feet touched the other side of the portal, it disappeared completely. Thea entered a completely dark room. She stood in the shadows for a moment before the room suddenly illuminated itself with bright candles. The candles lit up the dark room and revealed pictures on the walls, a shrine and a computer in the far corner. Thea walked towards the shrine and picked the picture in the frame. She looked at it for a moment before setting it back down on the table. "I will fight for as long as I can. For you Dad. Zabia won't get away with all of his evil doings. I will avenge the death of Mom, and make sure Zabia pays for all of his actions." Thea looked at the picture once again and then went over to the computer. Then, the phone rang. Thea looked over her shoulder and picked up the phone, sitting on the desk. "Hello?" "Hey stranger,"said Damien's voice on the other end. Thea felt a sigh of relief when she heard Damien's voice. "Hey, how are they doing?"she asked. "Well, on the plus side, Tommy is doing pretty well. He is starting to wake up a bit but Skyler is still zonked out. I'm down at the restaurant across the street now, getting a drink,"said Damien. "Thea, she's not gonna make it,"said Damien's voice on the other end. Thea paused for a moment as she felt her heart twist and turn. She tried not to drop the phone. All Damien could hear was heavy breathing on the other end. "Thea? Thea, are you there?"Damien asked. Thea took a deep breath before she spoke again. "Damien, what's wrong with her?"asked Thea with a knot in her throat. "Dr. Harrison says that she is barely hanging on and the best thing for her would be to turn off the life support. I figured I would tell you first before I told the others.I don't know how to break the news to them, especially Conner,"Damien replied. "Hey, I gotta go. I'll talk to you later." "Alright, bye,"said Thea. Damien hung up on the other end. Thea put her head down on the desk as she cried quietly for an hour, putting herself to sleep.

Damien put his phone back in his jeans pocket and buried his face into his hands. "Order number 76! Medium french fries and a Large guava smoothie to go!"called the waiter from behind the counter. Damien went and sat at the counter, taking a sip of his smoothie and nibbling on a few french fries. "Hey kid, try some of this, on the house,"said the man behind the counter, handing Damien a bag of popcorn shrimp. "My Mom told me that shrimp make everyone feel better, makes um wanna jump to the stars." Damien looked in the bag and then back up at the greasy man behind the counter. "Thanks,"he muttered. "Anytime man. The name's Jud,"said the man as he held out his hand to Damien. "Damien,"said Damien and shook Jud's hand with a slight smile. "So, what are you in for?"asked Jud as he began to wipe down the counter. "My sister. She's on a life support and it looks like were gonna have to turn it off. Her science teacher is also here, knocked out, but doctors say he's gonna pull through. I just hate to turn the life support off on my own sister. It just doesn't seem right,"said Damien. Jud walked over to Damien and threw the dish rag over his shoulder. "Kid, I'm sorry. I wish you all the best but just do what you think would be best for your sister. When one door closes, another one opens. Think about it." Damien nodded as Judd went into the back and began to clean again. Damien grabbed the bag of shrimp and went back over to the hospital. He stayed for about another hour before Dr. Harrison walked in. "I'm sorry Damien. There was no change in her condition while you were gone. Remember, you have 3 days to decide what to do. Let me know when a decision has been made." Damien nodded. Dr. Harrison left the room and left Damien alone with his sister.

It was about 5 in the morning when Kira woke up. It was a restless night for her as she constantly thought about her missing half, it was Tommy. _"I didn't think I could love somebody like him. I guess you don't realize what you have until its gone. He isn't even gone, but he is missing. I mean, I know where he is...but...OH! This just isn't the same. Tommy, I need you so much, you don't even understand,"_Kira thought. "That's it! I can't just sit here. I have to go see him,"said Kira. She leaped out of bed and jumped into a hot shower. The warm water pulsed through her numb body as she prepared herself to see Tommy. She hopped out of the shower, shutting the water off and threw a towel over her head. Kira grabbed her clothes and whipped them on followed by drying her hair. Grabbing her jacket on the coat rack, Kira burst outside and jumped into her car. When she arrived at Reefside General, the parking lot was dark and quiet. Kira walked into the lobby quietly. Dr. Harrison was sitting on one of the chairs for a moment as she caught her breath. "Are you okay Dr. Harrison?"asked Kira as she sat down next to her. "Oh yeah. I'm fine. This is just my longest shift and I'm kinda tired,"replied the doctor. Damien walked out of Skyler's room and walked over to Kira. "Hey Kira. What are you doing here? It's really early." Kira stood up with Dr. Harrison. "I couldn't sleep. I wanted to see Tommy and make sure you were okay." Dr. Harrison stroked her hair out of her face and looked up at Kira and Damien. "Well, there are two days left to decide about Skyler's condition but Tommy has been stirring in the last hour. Why don't you go in and see him Kira while I talk to Damien,"said Dr. Harrison. Kira nodded and went slowly into Tommy's room. She sat down on a chair next to his bed and gently stroked his hair. "Hey Tommy. It's been lonely without you around to talk to even though it's only been a day. You know, this has been on my mind a lot lately. There's something that I would like to tell you. I hope you feel the same way. I love you Tommy. Ever since I laid eyes on you I have loved you. You are the only person in my life that has ever showed me the deepest compassion that I love. I need you in my life." Kira kissed Tommy gently on the cheek as she looked at him with her soft brown doe eyes. With the simple kiss, Tommy slowly began to open his eyes. Kira smiled as he stirred slowly. Tommy opened his eyes fully and regained focus like a newborn chick hatching out of an egg. He focused his vision onto Kira and smiled. "Glad your back, Tommy,"said Kira. "I love you too Kira,"he replied. Kira was puzzled for a moment. _"Did he actually hear everything I just said? Wow. We really are meant to be,"_she thought. "I didn't think you actually heard all of that but every word was true. I love you so much,"said Kira as they leaned close together for a kiss.

"I'm sorry Damien. I feel very sorry about Skyler more than I do for most of my other patients. Your friends and yourself have obviously been taking this very hard and I honestly wish there was more we could do for Skyler,"said Dr. Harrison. "It's okay. You know it's been hard on everyone having her here and I am at a loss. Dr. Harrison, what would you do in my position?"asked Damien. Dr. Harrison motioned for Damien to sit down. They sat next to each other as Dr. Harrison removed her glasses, placing them in her pocket. "I would like to tell you something very personal Damien. My husband was bitten by a rattlesnake on our anniversary when we were visiting his family. They live on the edge of the desert and he was bitten on the foot. His system wasn't strong enough and after 40 vials of anti-venom, he was put on a life support and our family decided to turn it off. He had mentioned death a lot to our family and said if he was going to be able to recover more than sixty percent, then keep going. If he wasn't able then we should turn off the support. We ended up turning it off because the odds weren't in our favor. That is the reason I became and ER physician, so I could try and prevent horrible deaths like my husbands. I want to give Skyler until tomorrow night and then the decision shall be made." Damien buried his face into his hands as Dr. Harrison wrapped her arms around him. Damien sobbed for a moment and then broke free from Dr. Harrison. He stood up quickly. "I'm gonna go talk to Kira for a moment. I appreciate all of the help Dr. Harrison." Damien walked over to Tommy's room and knocked on the door just as Kira and Tommy released each other from their kiss. Damien walked into the room as he wiped the few tears he had from his eyes. He sat down on the chair next to Kira. "Are you okay Damien?"asked Kira. "I will be after a while. We have to know by tomorrow if we are going to turn her life support off or not and it looks like we might have to,"said Damien. Tommy propped himself up in his bed and looked over at Damien. "Hey man, I'm really sorry. I wish there was more we could do for her." Damien smirked and then held his head low again. "There is one thing you could do,"said Damien as he pulled a disc out of his jacket pocket. "I need everyone to watch this. Thea and I are the only one that can't watch it. I think it will give you guys a bit more of a background on the Phoenixes. Please, watch this,"said Damien as he handed Tommy the disk. Silently, Damien walked out of the room and went back to see Skyler. Kira held Tommy's hand as they just looked at the disk. "What do you think is so important on this disk?"asked Kira. "I don't know but let's have all the guys meet at my place tomorrow and we'll see what this is all about,"said Tommy.

The next day, after Tommy was released and at home, Kira called all of the rangers and told them to meet at Tommy's house. With a limp in his step, Tommy greeted everyone at the door. "Glad to see your doing well Tommy,"said Ethan with Haley right behind him. "Thanks man,"smiled Tommy. Everyone sat in the living room, in front of the TV. Conner stood quietly in a corner looking out the window. Kira sat down next to Trent as she looked back at Conner. "Is he okay?"she asked. Trent shook his head. "I kept trying to call his house but he wouldn't pick up. His brother kept saying that he was sick. I think he just can't handle what's going on. He really loves Skyler and can't stand to see her like this." Tommy stood in front of the TV and put the disk into the DVD-Rom player. "I'm glad everyone could make it. Damien gave me this disk and said it was very important for us to watch this and get a background on the Phoenix rangers." "That's weird, I got one from Thea too. I wonder if there is any difference in the disks,"said Trent as he pulled the disk out of his jacket pocket. "Alright, we'll watch Damien's first and then we'll watch the one Thea gave us,"said Tommy as he took the disk from Trent. Tommy turned the player on and pressed play on the TV. He sat down on the chair next to Kira, who leaned onto the arm of the couch. Everyone sat around the TV as the film started. Conner stayed over by the window and watched it from where he stood. A man appeared on the screen. "I'm Casper Reynolds. The film you are about to see is the documentary on how the Phoenix rangers came to be. This film is only to be watched under severe circumstances and only by the few that call themselves Power Rangers." 


End file.
